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CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay men's golf team came up a bit short in its bid for a second straight CCAA Championship this week. The Pioneers finished the 54-hole stroke play tournament in third place to qualify for the medal round for the third year in a row, but they fell to Stanislaus State in a tight semifinal match, 3-2, on Tuesday afternoon.

East Bay carded 298 (+14) as a team this morning in the final round of stroke play on the par-71 Zaharias Course at Industry Hills Golf Club. They finished with a three-round total of 890 (+38), putting the Pioneers seven strokes behind first-place Chico State (+31) and two strokes behind Stanislas (+36) in second. Cal State Monterey Bay (+40) shot the low round of the day to leapfrog Sonoma State and finish fourth to earn the final spot in the semifinals.

The Pioneers played well in their medal play showdown with Stanislaus State, but they fell just short, losing two of the matchups on the final hole. And although the team reached this point largely on the strengths of its top three seniors, East Bay's two freshmen posted the only two matchup victories against Stanislaus. The Warriors advance to the championship round to take on Monterey Bay, which defeated Chico State in the other semifinal.

Senior Adam Stone was unable to defend his 2016 CCAA individual championship, but he nonetheless had a tremendous performance this week. Stone shot 73 (+2) Tuesday morning in the final round of stroke play to finish at 218 (+5), good for fifth place in the overall field of 45 golfers. 

The left-hander from England shot his best round of the weekend in the semifinals, firing a 68 (-3) to lead the Pioneers. Unfortunately the only golfer on any of the four semifinal teams with a better score was the player matched up against Stone. Stan State's Ash Patel turned in a 67 (-4), notching the victory on the very last hole. 

Senior Chad Hall was also impressive in the morning round, matching Stone's 73 (+2) to finish one spot ahead of his teammate in fourth place with a three-round total of 217 (+4). Hall and Stone both secured spots on the CCAA All-Tournament team, along with Jordan Koelewyn (+3) of Stanislaus State, Matthew Hedges (+2) of Sonoma State, and individual champion Kelley Sullivan (+1) of Chico State.

Hall needed to be even better in the semifinals to beat his opponent John Burke, who carded 72 (+1). Unfortunately, Hall finished with an afternoon score of 77 (+6) as the Warriors secured another point.

Freshman Max Murai was instrumental in helping the Pioneers hang on to their top-four position during stroke play. The southpaw shot 75 (+4) in the final round to finish 23rd individually with a total of 227 (+14). Murai picked up a victory for East Bay in the semifinals, carding 77 (+6) to beat Chad Kubes (78) by one stroke. 

Senior Owen Hutchison finished the 54-hole tournament one stroke behind Murai, tied for 24th place at 228 (+15) after turning in a 77 (+6) Tuesday morning. He was up for the challenge in the semifinal round, matching his best round of the week with a 73 (+2). However, Jahaan Nargussi of Stanislaus fired a 72 (+1) and beat Hutchison on the final hole.

Freshman Chris Carney ended the day on a high note, despite the team falling short. He battled through all three rounds of stroke play and turned in an 80 (+9) in the final round to finish tied for 38th at 239 (+26). But then with a trip to the championship on the line, Carney shot by far his best round of the tournament. He fired even-par 71 in the semifinal to clinch a runaway victory over Jordan Koelewyn (77). 

The Pioneers will not have the chance to defend their CCAA title on Wednesday after a heartbreakingly narrow semifinal loss, but the 2016-17 slate will continue into the NCAA postseason in two weeks. CSUEB, which is currently ranked No. 5 in the West Region, will attempt to qualify for NCAA Division II National Championships for the first time in program history when the team heads to Brookside Country Club in Stockton for the NCAA DII West/South Central Regional May 8-10.