HAYWARD, Calif. — Cal State East Bay split Friday's doubleheader with Cal State LA at Pioneer Field, earning a 5-4 walk-off win in the opener before falling 8-2 in game two.
In the first game, the Pioneers rallied late to secure the win.
Cal State LA struck early with two runs in the first, but East Bay chipped away throughout the middle innings. Caleb Chance got the Pioneers on the board with a solo home run in the third, and Marc DiCarlo Jr. followed with a solo shot in the fourth to even the score at 2-2.
The Golden Eagles regained the lead in the fifth, but East Bay answered in the bottom half when Micah Cervantes delivered an RBI single to tie the game at 3-3.
The teams traded runs late, with Cal State LA pulling even in the ninth on a solo home run. East Bay responded in the bottom half when Dominick Najar delivered a walk-off RBI single to secure the 5-4 victory.
Najar led the offense with two hits, while Chance finished with three hits and an RBI. East Bay totaled 11 hits in the win.
On the mound, Jackson Ellis started and allowed three runs over 6.1 innings. AJ Gamboa worked in relief before Lincoln Juarez earned the win.
The second game saw Cal State LA take control early and hold off East Bay.
The Golden Eagles scored twice in the third inning and added single runs in the fifth and sixth before breaking the game open with a four-run seventh.
East Bay was held in check offensively for much of the contest but broke through in the seventh. Logan Stelling delivered a solo home run, and Micah Cervantes added an RBI single to account for the Pioneers' runs.
Stelling finished with two hits and an RBI, while Cervantes recorded two hits as East Bay totaled seven.
Jaxen McAdara took the loss after allowing four earned runs over six innings, while Hunter Timothy worked the final frame.
Cal State East Bay and Cal State LA will conclude the series Saturday at Pioneer Field.
