ROHNERT PARK, Calif., -- The Cal State East Bay baseball team opened their four-game California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) road series against Sonoma State with a 5-3 loss on Thursday afternoon, April 18 at Seawolf Diamond.
 
With the loss, East Bay falls to 15-23 overall on the season with a 12-20 showing in league play.
 
Despite the loss, the Pioneers bats were in full effect as they held the hit advantage over the Seawolves 11-6 for the ballgame. But it was the home team Sonoma State that was able to convert their six hits into five runs while East Bay only scored three runs on their 11 hits.
 
The contest was a back and forth affair as the Seawolves jumped on the board first with a run in the bottom of the second inning. The Pioneers answered with two runs in the fourth to take a 2-1 lead before SSU tied the game a 2-2 by the time the inning was over. Sonoma State would add on two more runs in the six inning to move ahead 4-2 in the ball game. One last rally by East Bay was cut short in the eighth inning as Sonoma matched CSUEB with a run to end the game 5-3.
 
Dakota Conners (Manteca, Calif.) and Robert Lujan (Reno. Nev.) both paced the Pioneers with three hits apiece. Conners logged the Pios first hit of the game with a single to left field in the opening inning of action. Then he tacked on a single to center field in the third inning and another single to right field in the top of the eighth that lead to him scoring a run later than inning. Lujan opened his day with a double down the right field line in the second inning that led to a stolen base. Lujan then added a single in the fourth inning that lead to a run and a single to left field to end his afternoon.
 
Adam Hollar (Livermore, Calif.) singled to left field in the sixth inning and scored a run in the fourth after being walked to lead off the inning. Steve Robinson (Yuba City, Calif.) picked up a single to left field in the sixth inning and recorded an RBI in the top of the eighth inning.
 
Omar Sanchez (Winton, Calif.) racked up two RBI on a double in the fourth inning as he finished the contest with a hit, a run scored and two RBI. Kyosuke Ushimaru (Tokyo, Japan) compiled a single through the right side in the eighth inning and Matt Cantelme (Fair Oaks, Calif.) singled to the right side in the top of the fourth inning.
 
Blake Corsentino (L, 3-3) (Ventura, Calif.) got the start on the mound for the Pioneers and tossed six innings. He tallied three strikeouts and only allowed two earned runs. Kyle Basch (San Carlos, Calif.) took the mound in the seventh inning and only gave up one hit through two innings.
 
The Pioneers and Seawolves will return to action with a doubleheader on Friday, April 19 beginning at 11:00 a.m. at Seawolf Diamond.