SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — No. 9 Cal State East Bay picked up a pair of wins Saturday at Cal State San Bernardino, edging the opener 3-1 before holding off a late push in a 7-6 victory in game two.
The first game leaned on pitching and timely swings.
East Bay struck early with a solo home run from Gomez in the first, then added on in the third and fifth. Campos provided another spark with a home run, while Morales drove in a run with an RBI double as the Pioneers built a steady advantage.
From there, Quintero controlled the game.
Working all seven innings, Quintero limited CSUSB to five hits and just one run — none earned — while working around traffic throughout. The Coyotes managed to scratch across a run in the sixth, but never found a sustained rally.
The second game took a different path.
East Bay broke through with a five-run second inning, taking advantage of defensive miscues and timely hitting to create early separation. Gomez delivered a two-run double during the frame, while additional runs came on errors and situational play.
CSUSB responded quickly with a three-run inning of its own, then chipped away late to keep the pressure on.
After East Bay added two runs in the sixth on RBI doubles from Hallett and Cuellar, the Coyotes answered with three runs in the bottom half to cut the margin to one.
The second game took a different path.
East Bay broke through with a five-run second inning, taking advantage of defensive miscues and timely hitting to create early separation. Gomez delivered a two-run double during the frame, while additional runs came on errors and situational play.
CSUSB responded quickly with a three-run inning of its own, then chipped away late to keep the pressure on.
After East Bay added two runs in the sixth on RBI doubles from Hallett and Cuellar, the Coyotes answered with three runs in the bottom half to cut the margin to one.
From there, it came down to the final inning.
Quintero entered in the seventh and worked through a base runner to close out the game, securing the save and preserving the 7-6 win.
Gomez led the offense with two hits and two RBIs, while Cuellar added two hits and drove in a run. East Bay finished with seven hits in the victory.
Cal State East Bay returns home next week for a CCAA series against San Francisco State.
