STOCKTON, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay baseball team recorded its first-ever victory at the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Tournament on Wednesday afternoon, defeating Cal State San Bernardino by a final score of 13-2 in the opening round at Banner Island Ballpark.

The Pioneers improve to 31-18 for the season and advance to the winner's bracket of the double-elimination tournament. CSUEB will take on Cal State Monterey Bay Thursday evening at 7 p.m. after the Otters topped UC San Diego on Wednesday.

The game opened as a tremendous pitcher's dual between two of the top hurlers in the CCAA, Pioneer southpaw Alex Vesia and Coyote right-hander Tyler Wells. Both starters mowed through the first three innings before the Pioneer offense finally got going in the bottom of the fourth.

Troy Resch opened the frame with an infield single and advancing into scoring position on a bunt. With two outs, Zack Perugi flared an opposite field single over the shortstop's head to plate the game's first run.

Vesia held the Coyotes scoreless through the fifth and sixth innings, and then East Bay's bats came alive in the seventh. Myles Babitt belted a leadoff triple into the right-center gap, then Chris Porter reached when the third baseman dropped his high infield pop-up. The Pioneers followed with back-to-back singles by Perugi and Dakota Conners to make the score 3-0. East Bay ended up sending 14 batters to the plate in the sixth, and when the dust settled they had nine runs on seven hits and three errors. 

Vesia came out after throwing 96 pitches in 7.0 innings, allowing one earned run on four hits with five strikeouts. The sophomore All-CCAA honoree picked up his seventh victory of the season. He's now 5-1 with a 1.69 ERA over his last six starts.

Junior Nick Sergi pitched the eighth inning, and senior Cole Compton tossed the ninth to close out the victory for the CCAA North division champion Pioneers.

CSUEB racked up 14 hits in the win, led by Perugi, who went 3-for-4 with a triple and four RBI. Raymond Jones also notched a three-hit game, and Troy Resch went 2-for-5 with a pair of runs driven in. CCAA Most Valuable Player Rudy Navarro finished 1-for-2 and drew three walks. 

The Pioneers are now one victory shy of matching the program record of 32, and they have at least two more games ahead of them here in Stockton. 

The winner of the CCAA Tournament earns the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division II West Regionals. In Wednesday's rankings, CSUEB was tabbed No. 5 in the West Region, their highest ranking of the season. The top six teams following this week's action qualify for the NCAA DII Regionals.