HAYWARD, Calif. — Cal State East Bay nearly erased a late deficit Friday afternoon at Pioneer Baseball Field, but Menlo College held on for a 9–8 win in the Pioneers' first home game of the season. After the Oaks broke a 1–1 tie in the third inning, they led the rest of the way, even as East Bay brought the tying run to third base in the bottom of the ninth.
Menlo scored once in the top of the first inning, but East Bay answered immediately. Logan Stelling crossed the plate on a wild pitch in the bottom of the first to even the score. The Oaks then took control in the top of the third, scoring four runs to open a 5–1 lead on two sacrifice flies and a pair of RBI singles.
The Pioneers responded in the bottom of the third. With the bases loaded and no outs, Dylan Unangst lined an RBI single to score Dominic Najar. On the next sequence, Gio Martini came home from third base despite a double play, cutting the deficit to 5–3.
The fourth and fifth innings were scoreless before Menlo added to its lead in the top of the sixth. An RBI infield single pushed the advantage to 6–3. The Oaks extended the margin further in the top of the seventh with a home run and an RBI single, making it 8–3.
East Bay got one run back in the bottom of the seventh. With two outs, Stelling singled to drive in Caleb Chance and make it 8–4. The Pioneers continued to chip away in the eighth inning. Mark DiCarlo reached on an error to start the frame, advanced on a walk and a wild pitch, and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Micah Cervantes to pull East Bay within 8–5.
Menlo added an important insurance run in the top of the ninth on an RBI single, taking a 9–5 lead into the bottom of the inning.
The Pioneers (2-3), playing their first home game at home this season, mounted a final rally. Martini led off with a walk, Stelling followed with a single and Unangst was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. After a pitching change, DiCarlo lifted a sacrifice fly to score Martini, and Alijah Ramos followed with another sacrifice fly to bring home Stelling. With two outs, pinch hitter Christian Angulo drew a walk to move Ty Ramsey into scoring position, and Chance delivered an RBI single to make it a one-run game. A passed ball and a walk loaded the bases with the tying run at third, but the second pitch thrown by Henry Robison was hit into a game-ending fielder's choice to end the comeback attempt.
Stelling and Unangst each finished with two hits, and Stelling reached base in four of five plate appearances. Through Friday, Stelling held a team-best .438 batting average. Out of the bullpen, AJ Gamboa struck out three batters across 4.1 innings.
Cal State East Bay continues the series Saturday afternoon with a road matchup against Menlo. First pitch is scheduled for noon at Cartan Field in Atherton, California.
