Box Score

LOS ANGELES – Cal State L.A.'s baseball team got a record-setting performance from ace Isaac Morales, but Cal State Stanislaus made sure the Golden Eagles had to sweat it out at the end.

 

Morales picked up his Cal State L.A. record 23^rd win, but the outcome was very much in doubt until John Dunn and Jesus Campos put an end to a Cal State Stanislaus ninth-inning rally in a 4-2 California Collegiate Athletic Association victory Thursday night at Reeder Field. Cal State L.A. (24-13, 16-9 CCAA) scored single runs in the first three innings and Morales made that stand up for the win.

 

The 23 wins by Morales in his four-year career at Cal State L.A. broke the previous record of 22 held by Abdom Pinon in 1988-91.

 

Morales (4-3), who earned first-team All-CCAA and first-team All-West Region honors last season, turned in one of his best outings of the season Thursday. He limited the Warriors (23-12, 13-11 CCAA) to only four hits and one run over seven innings and left with a 4-1 lead.

 

Dunn got the Warriors out in order in the eighth, but ran into some trouble in the ninth inning when Cal State Stanislaus strung together three consecutive two-out, two-strike hits to produce a run and put the tying runs on base. Dunn finally got Alex Zanini to hit a slow grounder to short and Campos made a quick stop and unleashed a perfect off-balance throw to nip Zanini at first to end the game.

 

Campos made a pair of tremendous plays in the seventh inning, which turned out to be Morales' last. He made a strong throw to edge Zach Cadet from deep short to start the inning and then leaped high to snare a line drive Casey Filkins for the second out.

 

Max Moya had three hits for the Golden Eagles, including his first triple of the season. He drove in a pair of runs and also scored a run. Matt Miraldi reached base four times from the leadoff spot after drawing three walks and getting hit by a pitch scored a run.

 

The game featured a tremendous pitching battle between Morales and Cal State Stanislaus starter Dakota Watts (7-2). Watts gave up six hits and three runs over six innings while striking out seven. Eric Federico pitched two scoreless innings of relief for the Warriors.

 

Cal State L.A. took a 3-0 lead after scoring single runs in the first, second and third innings. Moya singled in Miraldi in the first to give the Golden Eagles a 1-0 lead and Campos walked, took second on a single by Chris Matzner, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Chris Lloyd and scored on a passed ball.

 

In the third, Moya tripled and scored on a double by Travis Tartamella.

 

Morales got a break in the second inning when Kyle Loretelli was thrown out trying to steal home and he then breezed into the sixth inning. The Warriors broke through when Ryan Silver walked, took second on an infield single by Jacob Thelen and scored on a single by Loretelli. Morales got out of further trouble when he got Leandro Dottavio to ground out with runners on second and third.

 

Cal State L.A. took a 4-1 lead in the seventh when Mario Ramirez walked, took second on a walk to Toby Davis and scored on a double by Moya.

 

That set the stage for the dramatic ninth inning. After getting the first two outs, Dunn ran into some difficulty and surrendered a double to pinch hitter David Contreras, a run-scoring single to Casey Filkins and another single by Joseph Pilatti. Dunn then got Zanini to hit to Campos to end the game.

 

The two teams will continue the four-game CCAA series on Friday – weather permitting – with a game at Reeder Field beginning at 3 p.m.