SEASIDE, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay baseball team is headed to the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) postseason tournament for the first time in program history after splitting Saturday's doubleheader at Cal State Monterey Bay.
With a 4-3 victory in 10 innings and a 9-2 loss in the nightcap, the Pioneers are now 29-18 for the season and 20-16 in CCAA play. The Otters (32-16, 21-15 CCAA) are in first place in the North division, one game ahead of East Bay and Chico State tied for second. Sonoma State is one game back at 19-17, but the Pioneers hold the potential tie-breaker over the Seawolves.
The top three teams from each division advance to the playoffs. Heading into Sunday's regular season finale, the Pioneers still have a chance to be seeded first, second, or third from the North. If they win on Senior Day, they will be no lower than second, with a chance to claim the North title if Chico State loses to Stanislaus.
The Pioneers got a strong effort from sophomore starter
Jacob Call in the first game of the twinbill. He allowed two earned runs on four hits over 7.0 innings, departing with the game tied 3-3.
East Bay did most of its damage in the fourth, hanging three runs a on the board to take a 3-1 lead at the time. They racked up five hits in the innings with
Chris Porter and
Dakota Conners knocking in runs.
CSUMB tied that game in the fifth and both bullpens were solid down the stretch, sending the teams into extra innings. The Pioneers loaded the bases with one out in the 10th, and then Conners plated the go-ahead run with a ground out.
Andrew Fernandez worked a scoreless inning to close out the victory and earn his first save.
After scoring just four total runs in dropping the first two games of the series, Monterey finally got their bats going on the back end of the doubleheader. The Otters tallied nine runs on 11 hits in the seven-inning victory, beating
Angel Lara, who gave up three earned runs in 3.0 innings in his first start.
The Pioneers totaled seven hits in game two. Conners led the way going 2-for-3 with an RBI, and
Michael Frantz knocked in the other East Bay run.
On Sunday, CSUEB returns home to celebrate Senior Day before the final game of the 2016 regular season. A win greatly improves their chance at a berth in the NCAA West Regionals and would give the Pioneers a 30-win season for the third time in the last four years.
