BOCA RATON/WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Cal State East Bay swept a South Florida Sunday with a resilient extra-inning win at Lynn in the morning and a wire-to-wire, high-scoring victory at Palm Beach Atlantic in the afternoon. The Pioneers doubled the opposition's total runs on the day, 28-14, securing their first win of the season in the opener and riding a relentless offense in the nightcap improving to 2-2.
Game one was a makeup played in the morning after being moved to Sunday due to a rain delay and darkness.
Game 1 — Cal State East Bay 10, Lynn 5 (8 innings, 7 scheduled)
The Fighting Knights struck first with a run in the bottom of the first, but the Pioneers answered in the top of the second. Dylan Unangst led off with a single up the middle and moved up when Carson Cripe was hit by a pitch. With two aboard, Caleb Chance reached on an error, and Unangst scored the tying run.
Unangst sparked the fourth as well, getting hit by a pitch and later crossing on a Lynn error with Marc DiCarlo reaching to put East Bay ahead. The Pioneers compounded the pressure with small ball and took advantage of miscues. DiCarlo scored on a wild pitch, bunts and subsequent errors loaded the bases, William James beat out an infield single to score Nick Thomson, and Chance lifted a sacrifice fly to cap a four-run frame and make it 5-1.
Lynn rallied in the bottom of the seventh to extend the game. Charlie Devito's RBI single cut into the lead, and Jackson Tyer followed with a three-run home run to tie it at five and force extras.
East Bay answered decisively in the eighth. DiCarlo led off by breaking the tie with a solo home run. Ben Johnston came around on a throwing error, Gio Martini bounced a two-run single up the middle, and Unangst added an RBI single for the Pioneers' fifth run of the inning. Lincoln Juarez finished off two scoreless innings of relief to lock down the 10-5 win, the Pioneers' first victory of 2026.
Game 2 — Cal State East Bay 18, Palm Beach Atlantic 9
The Pioneers jumped ahead in the first and never let up at J.M. "Jake" Rubin Park. Dominick Najar opened the game with a double and promptly stole third. Two batters later, Logan Stelling lined an RBI single for a one-run lead. Unangst drew a walk and scored on an error, and Alijah Ramos knocked in DiCarlo to make it 3-0 before Palm Beach Atlantic had a turn at bat.
Unangst widened the margin in the third with a two-run single for a 5-0 advantage. The Sailfish pulled a run back in the bottom half, but East Bay struck with authority in the fourth as Martini crushed a three-run home run to push the lead to 8-1.
The fifth inning broke it open. Najar drove in a run with a groundout, Martini was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, Stelling singled home another, Unangst lifted a sacrifice fly, DiCarlo punched an RBI single, Johnston was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, and DiCarlo later scored on a fielder's choice. By inning's end, the Pioneers had doubled their tally to 16.
DiCarlo kept the line moving in the sixth with a two-run double that brought home Najar and Martini for an 18-1 cushion. Palm Beach Atlantic added eight runs over the final four innings, but the early onslaught stood up as East Bay closed out an 18-9 victory behind a five-inning, five-strikeout start from Jaxen McAdara.
Notable on the day, Najar reached the four-game mark hitting .500 with six hits and five stolen bases. Martini totaled six RBIs on Sunday, including the three-run home run, giving him a team-high seven RBIs and a .667 on-base percentage. DiCarlo scored five runs across the two games. Juarez earned the win in relief in the opener with two scoreless frames and two strikeouts, while McAdara limited Palm Beach Atlantic to one earned run over five innings in the finale.
Cal State East Bay returns home for its home opener against Menlo at Pioneer Baseball Field. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 6, in Hayward, California.
