Box Score CHICO -- Cal State L.A.'s baseball team needed a rally in order to win the opener of a season-ending series at Chico State and the Golden Eagles got it.

Niko Garcia's bases-clearing triple in the eighth inning and a complete-game pitching performance from Jordan Sechler lifted the Golden Eagles to a 5-3 win over the Wildcats Friday night at Nettleton Stadium. Cal State L.A. (30-17, 27-10 CCAA) remained in a first-place tie with Cal State Monterey Bay, which beat UC San Diego on Friday.

Chico State (32-13, 25-12 CCAA) scored all three of its runs in the fourth inning, but Sechler was outstanding after that. He allowed only one hit after the fourth inning and gave the Golden Eagles enough time to break through offensively.

Garcia led an 11-hit attack by the Golden Eagles by going 3-for-4. Ryan Cooperstone and Casey Ryan had two hits each.

Cal State L.A. chipped away at the deficit and scored single runs in the sixth and seventh innings before breaking through for the game-winning rally in the eighth.

The Golden Eagles got on the board in the sixth when a run-scoring double by Jeremy Weber drove in Ryan, who had singled. The Golden Eagles then strung together singles by Garcia, Manny Acosta and Ryan to score a run in the seventh to make the score, 3-2. Then, in the eighth, Cody Doyle drew a two-out walk to start the winning rally. Tyler Christian followed with a single and Trevor Hopkins entered the game to pinch-run for Doyle. Cooperstone singled to load the bases and Garcia cleared them with his three-run triple.

Chico State scored all three of its runs in the fourth inning and the Golden Eagles avoided further damage thanks to an outstanding defensive effort from centerfielder Scott Masik. Blake Gibbs hit a two-run home run to open the scoring and Cody Slater's run-scoring single made it 3-0. Masik, though, threw out a Chico State baserunner at the plate to end the inning and keep the Golden Eagles within striking distance.

That became big once the Golden Eagles started picking up some hits against Chico State starter Nick Baker, who blanked the Golden Eagles over the first five innings. Cal State L.A. finished the game with 11 hits, eight of them coming in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings.

Sechler finished with just one walk to go along with five strikeouts. He improved to 6-2 with the win.

Cal State L.A. will return to action on Saturday with a doubleheader at Chico State beginning at noon.