TURLOCK, Calif. — Cal State East Bay erupted for four runs in the ninth inning Friday night, turning a one-run deficit into a 9-6 victory over Stan State in the CCAA opener at Warrior Baseball Field.
The Pioneers (9-7, 1-0 CCAA) trailed 6-5 entering the final frame before delivering their biggest offensive swing of the night, highlighted by Dylan Unangst's three-run double that broke the game open.
East Bay chipped away early after falling behind 3-0. Dominick Najar tripled down the left-field line in the fourth and scored on a sacrifice fly from Marc DiCarlo Jr. to put the Pioneers on the board.
Stan State extended its lead to 5-1 through five innings, but East Bay answered in the sixth. Najar singled and swiped both second and third before DiCarlo drove him in with an RBI single. After Logan Stelling reached base, Unangst advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt, and Gio Martini brought home a run with a groundout. An infield error later in the inning allowed another run to score, trimming the deficit to 5-4.
In the seventh, Caleb Chance doubled and eventually scored on a Stan State error to tie the game at 5-5.
The Warriors briefly regained the lead in the eighth, capitalizing on a Pioneer miscue to move in front 6-5.
East Bay saved its best for last.
Cristian Angulo drew a leadoff walk in the ninth, and Chance followed with a bunt single to put two aboard. After two outs, DiCarlo delivered again, lining an RBI single to right to even the score. Stelling was then hit by a pitch to load the bases, setting the stage for Unangst, who ripped a double into left-center to clear the bases and give the Pioneers a 9-6 advantage.
Unangst finished with three RBIs, while DiCarlo drove in three and scored twice. Najar collected two hits, including a triple, and stole two bases as East Bay totaled eight hits.
On the mound, Derek Murphy (2-0) earned the win with a scoreless eighth inning, and Lincoln Juarez secured his third save of the season by working around a two-on situation in the ninth. AJ Gamboa struck out six over four innings in the start, and David Howard added three innings of relief with six strikeouts.
Cal State East Bay continues its CCAA series at Stan State on Saturday.
