SAN FRANCISCO -- A promising start of the day Saturday for Cal State L.A.'s baseball team ended up with a frustrating ending.
After the Golden Eagles won the opener of Saturday's California Collegiate Athletic Association doubleheader at San Francisco State, 7-0, they were hurt by five errors in the nightcap and dropped a 7-6 decision. Cal State L.A. (10-4, 5-2 CCAA) has dropped two of the first three games to San Francisco State (4-9, 3-4 CCAA).
Cal State L.A. won the opener behind an outstanding complete-game shutout by
Bryan Conant. He allowed only five hits and didn't walk a batter while striking out seven over nine strong innings. The Golden Eagles collected 12 hits in the opener, including three from
Paul Martinez and two each from
Jesus Cuevas and
Trent Zaks. Cuevas and Zaks each scored two runs, while Martinez drove in two runs.
The Golden Eagles took a 1-0 lead in the second on a run-scoring single by Martinez and made it 2-0 in the third on a run-scoring single by
Anthony Lombardo. Cal State L.A. stretched the lead to 5-0 in the fifth.
Nick Osuna drove in a run with a groundout and Cuevas and Martinez added run-scoring singles.
Cal State L.A. made it 6-0 in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by
Rodrigo Martinez and completed the scoring in the eighth on a run-scoring single by
Dakota Hernandez.
Cal State L.A. committed five errors in the nightcap that contributed to five unearned San Francisco State runs. Ralph Ramirez started and went five innings for the Golden Eagles. He allowed eight hits and walked one while striking out four.
Reed Reznicek pitched a scoreless sixth inning.
Cal State L.A. took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when a fielder's choice groundout by Lombardo drove in
Kyle Peralta. After Ramirez got out of a bases-loaded, no one out jam after allowing only one run in the bottom of the first, the Golden Eagles took a 3-1 lead in the second.
David Trejo had a double in the inning and Zaks drove in two with a two-out double.
San Francisco State, though, tied it thanks to two more Cal State L.A. errors in the third. Cal State L.A. took a 5-3 lead in the fourth on a sacrifice flies by Trejo and
Rodrigo Martinez, but the Gators got three in the bottom of the inning to take a 6-5 lead. Bryce Cherry put the Gators ahead with a run-scoring double.
Cal State L.A. tied it in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Osuna, but the Gators regained the lead on a sacrifice fly by Andrew Breen after a leadoff double by Garrett Heisinger.
The Golden Eagles were blanked over the final two innings by Cory Davis, who picked up the save for Ryan Romero.
Cal State L.A. will conclude the four-game series with San Francisco State on Sunday with a single game beginning at 11 a.m.
