SEASIDE, Calif. – The Cal State East Bay baseball team responded to dropping Friday's conference opener by taking the first game of a CCAA doubleheader on Saturday at Cal State Monterey Bay. The Pioneers took game one, 6-5, but lost the second game of the doubleheader, 3-0.
Game One – CSUEB 6, Cal State Monterey Bay 5
It did not take long for the Pioneers to get on the board in game one.
Manny Garcia singled with one out, then stole two bases in the inning. From third base, Garcia scored on a wild pitch, as CSUEB took a 1-0 lead.
In the top of the fourth inning,
Matthew O'Mahony led off with a single, then advanced into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by
Luke Novitske. CSUEB capitalized to double its lead to 2-0 when
Francisco Pedraza hit an RBI single to drive in O'Mahony.
The Otters answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single hit by Jacob Martin.
CSUMB scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth for a 4-2 lead. The runs were products of a sacrifice fly RBI from Martin, an RBI single from Chris Rubottom and an RBI triple from Kyle Guerra. One more run was added to the CSUMB lead in the bottom of the seventh after a sacrifice fly by Charlie Nasuti to drive in Cooper Smith.
O'Mahony hit a one out single in the top of the eighth, and Novitske followed with a walk. With two runners on base for the Pioneers, Pedraza came through with a three-run home run to tie the game at 5-5. Pedraza's home run was his second on the season.
With two outs in a 5-5 game in the ninth inning, Garcia and
Jacob Klinovsky hit back-to-back singles, as Garcia reached scoring position representing the go-ahead run. And with O'Mahony's fourth hit of the game, which drove in Garcia, the Pioneers took a 6-5 lead.
Although the Otters loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth with one out, as Jason Ajamian represented the winning run at second base, CSUEB closed out the game by turning a double play and completing a 6-5 victory to take game one.
O'Mahony went 4-for-5 in game one with an RBI.
Pedraza had four RBIs after going 3-for-4 in the game.
Picking up the win on the mound in relief was
Jackson Ellis, improving to 1-1 on the season.
Anthony Perez closed out the game with his first save of the season.
Throwing 6.0 innings with no decision for the Pioneers,
Mark Woinarowicz had seven strikeouts. Through Saturday's action, Woinarowicz is tied with teammate
Tommy Scavone for second in the CCAA in strikeouts with 27 on the season.
Game Two – Cal State Monterey Bay 3, CSUEB 0 (7 innings)
Ajamian had all three RBIs in game two for the Otters, including a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first to drive in Chase Lindemann, and a single in the bottom of the fifth to drive in a pair of runs for CSUMB.
CSUEB was limited to only three hits in game two, with one each by Novitske, Pedraza and
Matthew Mandeville.
Scavone had nine strikeouts in 6.0 innings on the mound for the Pioneers in game two.
The Pioneers (8-5, 1-2 CCAA) and Otters (7-5, 2-1 CCAA) will meet Sunday for the series finale at Otter Sports Complex. First pitch is set for 11 a.m.
