HAYWARD, Calif., -- The Cal State East Bay baseball team opened their four-game California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) "Battle of the Bays" rivalry series against Cal State Monterey Bay with a tough, 7-4 extra innings defeat Friday afternoon at Pioneer Baseball Field.
 
With the loss, the Pioneers fall to 11-6 on the season with a 7-6 mark in CCAA action.
 
On a great day for baseball in the Hayward Hills, the Pioneers found themselves down early as they visiting Otters scores a pair of runs in the opening inning of action. And after the Pioneers responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the first, CSUMB tacked on one more run in the second to take a 3-1 lead.
 
Ethan Brodsky got the start on the mound for East Bay tossed 8.0 innings while collecting five strikeouts. Brodsky forced 11 groundouts and eight more fly outs while facing 38 batters.
 
Behind the plate, the Pioneers had no trouble accumulating offense as they tallied 12 hits. After the Otters took a 4-1 lead headed into the bottom of the fourth inning the Pioneers would rally with three runs through the next three innings to lock the game at 4-4. But the Pios two errors would come at a crucial point in the ballgame as Monterey Bay added three final runs in the final inning to claim a 7-4 victory.
 
Omar Sanchez paced the Pioneers with three hits, including a solo blast to left field for his second home run of the season. The senior from Winton added a run and an RBI. Tim O'Dalaigh and Samuel Esparza also turned in multi-hit performance as O'Dalaigh notched two hits and scored a run while Esparza collected two hits, with an RBI while drawing two walks.
 
AJ Curtis finished with a hits, an RBI, a run scored while drawing two walks. Jordan Macias recorded a hit and an RBI. Francisco Pedraza registered a hit and scored a run. Robert Lujan and Kaleb Keelean both compiled one hit each for CSUEB.
 
Lefty hurler Derek Flowers (L, 0-1) saw one inning of action and only allowed one while facing seven batters. Close Mark Woinarowicz finished the ballgame on the mound and forced the three batters he faced to groundout and fly out.
 
The Pioneers and Otters will continue their "Battle of the Bays" series with a Saturday doubleheader in Seaside at CSUMB Baseball Complex. Opening pitch of the first game is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.