Box Score

LOS ANGELES – Cal State L.A.'s baseball team put the finishing touches on a highly-successful 2009 home campaign.

 

The Golden Eagles ran their home record to 21-3 with a 17-8 non-conference victory over Vanguard University Wednesday night at Reeder Field. Cal State L.A. (31-15) won for the 12^th time in its last 15 games and entertained a crowd that enjoyed a throwback to the 1980s with special in-game promotions.

 

Danny DeSantiago (1-0) allowed only two earned runs in three innings to pick up the win for the Golden Eagles, who used five pitchers in all. Brian Dearth, Camron Collard and John Dunn combined to blank the Lions (19-28) over the final 4 1/3 innings.

 

Cal State L.A. collected 20 hits in the game and broke the game open with an eight-run third inning. Vanguard managed to trim the deficit to 10-8 after scoring twice in the fourth and fifth innings, but Cal State L.A. scored two in its half of the fifth and five more in the seventh to regain its advantage.

 

Matt Miraldi and Max Moya had three hits each for the Golden Eagles, while Brendan McQuaid, Michael Vinyard, Mark Sunga, Chris Matzner, Jesus Campos and Chris Lloyd had two hits each. Campos and Lloyd had three RBI each, while Moya and Maztner had two RBI each. Moya scored three times.

 

Derek Craddock had three hits to lead Vanguard, which picked up nine hits in the contest. Eric Krzysiak and Brett Siegmund had two hits each, while Ethan Gentry had a pair of runs batted in. Siegmund hit his sixth home run of the season.

 

Vanguard scored four times in the second inning thanks to Siegmund's solo home run, a controversial interference call at home plate that negated a runner being thrown out at the plate and a two-run Cal State L.A. throwing error.

 

The Golden Eagles, though, bunched together nine hits in the third inning to take the lead for good. Moya singled in the first run, Vinyard singled in a pair of runs, Matzner doubled in a run, Campos singled in a run, Lloyd singled in a run, Miraldi singled in a run and Lloyd stole third base and come on to score on an errant throw.

 

Vanguard scored twice in the fourth and twice in the fifth to make it 10-8 and had the bases loaded with two out in the fifth when Dearth came on to get the final out.

 

Cal State L.A. then added two runs in the fifth and five in the seventh to break the game back open.

 

The Golden Eagles, who have already clinched a spot in the California Collegiate Athletic Association Championship Tournament, will conclude conference play this week with a four-game series at Sonoma State beginning on Friday. The tournament begins next Thursday in Palm Springs.