Box Score LOS ANGELES – Cal State L.A.'s baseball team saw a non-conference game get away from it Friday night in the opener of a three-game series with Fresno Pacific.
 
The Golden Eagles carried a 5-3 lead into the eighth inning, but the Sunbirds scored three unearned runs after two were out and pulled out a 6-5 decision at Reeder Field. Cal State L.A. (16-12) managed only one hit over the final four innings and dropped its third straight game.
 
Scott Masik was 2-for-4 with two runs scored, Jeremy Weber was 2-for-5 with two runs scored and Niko Garcia had a pair of singles for the Golden Eagles, who had eight hits in the game.
 
Brett Bishop had three hits and drove in two runs for Fresno Pacific (13-9), while Kyle Coppom had three RBI, two of them coming on a two-run home run in the first inning.
 
Cal State L.A. starter Jordan Sechler was in line for his fifth victory of the season after pitching five innings and allowing four hits and three runs. After surrendering a two-run home run in the first inning, he settled down and gave up only two hits over his final four innings of work.
 
Tim Vranau worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning and James Wharton pitched a scoreless seventh before running into trouble in the eighth. Ryan Cooperstone pitched a hitless ninth inning.
 
J.D. Salles went five innings for the Sunbirds and gave up seven hits and three earned runs. Ryan Castadio blanked the Golden Eagles on one hit over the final four innings to pick up his first win of the season.
 
The Sunbirds got two runs on Coppom's home run in the first and took a 3-0 lead in the top of the third when Coppom delivered a sacrifice fly.
 
Cal State L.A., though, got two runs in the bottom of the inning on a sacrifice fly by Wharton and a run-scoring single by Tyler Christian.
 
The Golden Eagles scored three times in the fifth to take a 5-3 lead. Masik was hit by a pitch, Weber singled and Wharton bunted for a single to load the bases. Cody Doyle drew a walk to force in a run and tie the game and two runs scored when Cooperstone reached on a fielder's choice to drive in one and an errant throw allowed Wharton to score from second.
 
Cal State L.A. carried that lead into the eighth and appeared to have caught two big breaks when Fresno Pacific ran itself into a pair of outs, one on an ill-advised attempt to get from first to third after a bunt single and the second when a runner was picked off first. An infield single, a catcher's interference set the table once again for the Sunbirds and Robert Chambas had a pinch-hit single to make it 5-4 and Bishop delivered a two-run double to give Fresno Pacific the lead.
 
Cal State L.A. will return to action on Saturday with a doubleheader against Fresno Pacific beginning at noon.