CARSON, Calif. — Cal State East Bay opened its CCAA series at Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday afternoon, falling 6-5 in a tightly contested matchup at Toro Field.

The Pioneers wasted little time getting on the board. Dominick Najar led off the game with a double down the left-field line and later crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly from Gio Martini, giving East Bay an early 1-0 advantage.

Dominguez Hills answered in the bottom of the inning, capitalizing on two walks and a pair of timely hits. A double and a two-run single allowed the Toros to plate three runs and take a 3-1 lead after one inning.

East Bay responded in the third inning to pull even. After Martini and Alijah Ramos were both hit by pitches, Dylan Unangst stepped in and drove a double into right center, bringing home both runners to tie the game at 3-3.

The Pioneers continued to apply pressure and regained the lead in the fifth. Ramos reached base and advanced into scoring position before Caleb Chance lined an RBI single into right center, putting East Bay back in front, 4-3.

The Toros answered again in the bottom half of the inning, using a sacrifice fly to bring home the tying run and even the score at 4-4.

In the sixth, Dominguez Hills seized control. A lead-off triple set the tone before a run-scoring double pushed the Toros ahead. Another extra-base hit followed, allowing Dominguez Hills to extend its lead to 6-4.

East Bay continued to generate base runners throughout the game, finishing with 11 hits, but struggled to string together multiple scoring opportunities in the middle innings.

The Pioneers mounted one final push in the ninth. With two outs, Unangst singled through the right side, and Caleb Chance worked a walk to keep the inning alive. Vincent Lencioni then delivered an RBI single into left center, cutting the deficit to 6-5 and putting the tying run on base.

Despite the late momentum, Dominguez Hills recorded the final out to secure the one-run victory.

Unangst led the Pioneers at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Logan Stelling added three hits, while Ramos finished with two hits and two runs scored. Chance contributed a hit and an RBI as part of East Bay's balanced offensive effort.

On the mound, Ryan Juric started and worked 4.2 innings, allowing four runs while striking out three. Alexander Hocking was charged with the loss after surrendering two runs in relief, and David Howard added two scoreless innings out of the bullpen.

Cal State East Bay will look to bounce back as the series continues Saturday at Toro Field.