LOS ANGELES – Cal State L.A.'s baseball team saw its losing streak stretch to four games after a non-conference loss to Azusa Pacific on Tuesday night.
The Golden Eagles surrendered 17 hits and committed four errors in a 13-6 loss to the Cougars at Reeder Field. Cal State L.A. (12-8) collected nine hits, but couldn't overcome errors that led to six unearned runs.
Kyle Peralta had three RBI for the Golden Eagles, while
Dakota Hernandez was 2-for-3 with three runs scored.
Nick Osuna drove in two runs and
Jesus Cuevas was 2-for-4 with one RBI.
Pablo O'Connor led Azusa Pacific (16-4) with a 3-for-5 performance that included a three-run home run in the sixth that extended the Cougars' lead from 7-6 to 10-6. Adrian Tovalin was 4-for-5 with two RBI.
It was a tough night for most of the 15 pitchers who pitched in the game as the two teams combined for six errors. Jonathan Velasco, the fifth of seven Azusa Pacific pitchers, got the win after allowing one earned run over two innings.
Greg Humbert allowed three earned runs over the first 2 1/3 innings for the Golden Eagles and took the loss.
Jordan Cavazos allowed two hits and no runs over 2 1/3 innings while striking out four for Cal State L.A. and
James Mendez blanked the Cougars over 1 1/3 innings.
Travis Hawley retired the only two batters he faced in the ninth inning.
Azusa Pacific took advantage of two Cal State L.A. errors and scored four runs in the first inning and added one in the second to take a 5-0 lead. The Golden Eagles got three runs back in the second on a run-scoring single by Osuna, a fielder's choice by Peralta and a run-scoring single by Cuevas.
Cal State L.A. scored one in the fourth on a fielder's choice by Peralta and scored two more times in the fifth to make it 7-6.
Jake Jelmini was hit by a pitch and took third on a double by Hernandez before scoring on a grounder by Osuna. Peralta singled up the middle to drive in Hernandez and make it a one-run game.
O'Connor extended the Cougars' lead with a two-out, three-run homer in the sixth and Azusa Pacific tacked on two runs in the eighth and one in the ninth to complete the scoring.
Cal State L.A. will return to action on Saturday, March 21, in the opener of a four-game California Collegiate Athletic Association series against Cal State Monterey Bay at 6 p.m.
