HAYWARD, Calif. -- Senior
Ryan Kochan had four hits and five RBI and fellow senior
Michael Pope tossed 7.1 scoreless innings to lead the Cal State East Bay baseball team to a 6-1 victory on Friday over visiting Cal State San Bernardino.
The Pioneers captured the opener of the four-game California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) series between the two squads on a gorgeous sunny afternoon at Pioneer Field.
The home team started the scoring in the bottom of the first inning.
Marcus Wise led off with an opposite-field single to right before stealing his team-leading 13th base of the year. Kochan then knocked in the run with a single through the left side.
Pope and Coyote starter Tyler Wells traded zeroes for the next four innings. The Pioneers still clung to a a 1-0 lead into the fifth when they finally broke the game open. Wells loaded the bases by walking Wise,
Chris Porter, and
Kelly Starnes. Then with two outs, Kochan came up with the big hit, driving a three-run double over the center fielder's head to clear the bases.
East Bay tacked on two more runs in the seventh, with Wise and Kochan once again starting the rally. The former led off with a single and moved up to second on a groundout, then the latter picked up his fifth RBI of the day with a single up the middle. After a walk and an error,
Myles Babitt muscled a single to left field with the bases loaded to make it 6-0 Pioneers.
Pope exited the game after 7.1 scoreless innings and 103 pitches. He allowed just three hits and struck out four, and the right-hander took advantage of four double plays to win his second straight decision and improve his record to 3-4. Pope now has a 1.99 ERA over his last six starts.
Angel Lara allowed a run on three hits in the ninth, but worked 1.2 innings to close out the victory for the Pioneers. They out-hit San Bernardino nine to six for the game.
Kochan's four-hit performance was a season high, and he knocked in five of the team's six runs. Wise also had a big day, going 2-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored. Babitt and Starnes were both on base twice with a hit and a walk.
The Pioneers (11-25, 8-21 CCAA) have now won four of their last six games. They continue their series against Cal State San Bernardino (9-28, 7-21 CCAA) with a doubleheader on Saturday, Apr. 18 scheduled for 11 a.m.
