Box Score

ROHNERT PARK – Round One went to Sonoma State on Friday in a showdown between two of the top NCAA Division II baseball teams in the nation.

The No. 4 Seawolves scored four times in the sixth inning and went on to a 6-2 win over No. 1 Cal State L.A. Friday in a California Collegiate Athletic Association game at Seawolf Diamond. The win lifts Sonoma State (42-7, 25-4) into sole possession of first place in the conference, while Cal State L.A. (36-8-1, 24-5) slips one game back. The two teams, who have already clinched spots in the four-game conference championship tournament that will be held at Reeder Field on May 10-12, will continue a four-game series with a doubleheader on Saturday at Seawolf Diamond beginning at 11 a.m.

The Golden Eagles outhit the Seawolves, 11-9, but a grand slam home run by Sonoma State's Eli Rimes was the big hit of the game. It extended a precarious 2-1 Sonoma State lead to 6-1 and sent Cal State L.A. starter Isaac Morales (9-1) to his first defeat of the season.

Sonoma State's Bryan Oland scattered 11 hits and went the distance to get the win for the Seawolves. He is now also 9-1 on the season. He didn't walk a batter, struck out nine and stranded five. The Golden Eagles hit into three double plays.

Morales went six innings and gave up seven hits and all six runs. He walked three and struck out seven. Sean O'Leary worked two scoreless innings of relief for the Golden Eagles.

Jeff Carroll, Brian Hernandez, Matt Winkelman and Felipe Gallo had two hits each for the Golden Eagles.

Cal State L.A. jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Gallo singled, took second on a groundout and scored on a two-out single by Carroll. That was Carroll's 63rd run batted in, which extends his program single-season record.

The Seawolves tied it with a run in the fourth. Nick Nosti picked up an infield hit, took second on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Tyler Wightman. Sonoma State took a 2-1 lead with a run in the fifth and then extended the advantage to 6-1 when Rimes hit a one-out, grand slam to right-center. It was hit 11th home run of the season.

Cal State L.A. scored its final run in the eighth inning. Adam Klein tripled and scored on a groundout by Jack Roche.