Box Score

POMONA – Cal State L.A.'s baseball team was unable to hold a lead in its 2010 season opener.

 

The Golden Eagles jumped out to a 4-1 lead after five innings, but gave up six unanswered runs and lost to Cal Poly Pomona, 7-4, Monday at Scolinos Field. Cal State L.A. (0-1) collected 10 hits in the contest, but also left 10 runners on base and was unable to score over the final five innings.

The contest was a non-conference game against California Collegiate Athletic Association opponents.

 

Wally Goodline pitched well for the Golden Eagles. He left after five innings with a 4-1 lead after allowing only five hits and one run. He walked one and struck out two and only gave up a single run in the third inning.

 

Cal Poly Pomona, though, touched Nathan Pickett for eight hits and four earned runs over the next 2 1/3 innings to take over the game. Cal State L.A.'s defense didn't help, committing a passed ball and a throwing error that contributed to a pair of unearned runs.

 

Matt Miraldi, Mario Ramirez and Cliff Quick had two hits each for the Golden Eagles. Miraldi and Ramirez had a pair of doubles and Quick had a double and a single.

 

Marcus Makia had four hits in four at bats for Cal Poly Pomona (1-0), which wound up with 13 hits. Nick Tanos added three hits and Travis Taijeron had a pair of hits, including a solo home run.

 

Keith Powers retired the only batter he faced to end the eighth inning and picked up the win when Cal Poly Pomona broke a 4-4 tie with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Joshua Krist pitched a hitless ninth inning with a pair of strikeouts to earn the save.

 

Cal State L.A. got off to a good start, scoring two runs in the first off Cal Poly Pomona starter Geoff Broussard. Ramirez doubled with two outs and, after Saw Wiley drew a walk, Quick doubled in a run. Jesus Campos followed with an infield single to score Wiley and make it 2-0.

 

The Golden Eagles added another run in the second when Brendan McQuaid reached on a single and eventually scored on a two-out double by Ramirez.

 

Cal Poly Pomona got a run back in the third on back-to-back doubles from Taijeron and Makia, but Cal State L.A. countered with a run in the fourth to regain its three-run advantage. Miraldi doubled and scored on a two-out single by Wiley.

 

That was it for the Cal State L.A. offense. The Golden Eagles managed eight hits in the first four innings, but only two hits the rest of the way.

 

Cal Poly Pomona made it 4-2 in the sixth on a run-scoring single by Tyson Edwards and tied it in the seventh on a solo home run by Taijeron and a sacrifice fly by McDowell. The Broncos then scored three times in the eighth to take the lead. Makia singled in one run and Erik Riedel singled in two more.

 

Matt Stropoli came on and struck out the only two batters he faced for Cal State L.A. to end the eighth.

 

Cal State L.A. will return to action on Thursday in another non-conference game against a California Collegiate Athletic Association opponent, Cal State San Bernardino, in the John Scolinos Memorial Tournament in Compton.