LOS ANGELES – Cal State L.A.'s baseball team saw a huge change in fortunes on Sunday, one day after a discouraging start to a four-game series with Cal State Monterey Bay.
After dropping an 11-inning decision on Saturday, the Golden Eagles bounced back in a big way on Sunday, sweeping a California Collegiate Athletic Association doubleheader from the Otters at Reeder Field. The Golden Eagles held on for a 6-5 win in the opener and then got a complete-game starting performance from
Ralph Ramirez in an 8-3 win in the opener.
Cal State L.A. (14-9, 9-6 CCAA) put an end to its five-game losing streak and ended a five-game Cal State Monterey Bay (18-9, 14-5 CCAA) winning streak.
Icezack Flemming was a workhorse in the opener, going eight strong innings and blanking Cal State Monterey Bay over his final four innings. He allowed 11 hits and three runs while walking two and striking out 10. The Golden Eagles wiped out a 3-0 deficit with two runs in the fourth, one in the fifth, two in the seventh and one in the eighth before hanging on after a late rally in the ninth from the Otters.
Ramirez was backed by a nine-hit Cal State L.A. attack in the nightcap and the Golden Eagles also took advantage of three Cal State Monterey Bay errors. Ramirez allowed nine hits and three runs in the seven-inning complete game to improve to 4-2. He walked two and struck out five.
Trevor Meleski hit a two-run home run to highlight a three-run rally in the fifth inning that gave the Golden Eagles an 8-2 lead.
After Cal State Monterey Bay took a 3-0 lead in the opener with one run in the first inning on a run-scoring single by Justin Flores and two more in the fourth on run-scoring singles by Hayden Duer and Curtis Gomez, the Golden Eagles struck back quickly to tie it.
Cal State L.A. made it 3-2 with two runs in the fourth on a run-scoring doubles by
Rodrigo Martinez and
David Trejo and tied it in the fifth on a solo home run by
Jesus Cuevas.
Cal State L.A. then took the lead for good in the seventh.
Dakota Hernandez drove in the go-ahead run with a single and
Paul Martinez singled in another run to make it 5-3.
Cal State L.A. added another run in the eighth when Trejo scored all the way from first after a bunt by
Lawrence Dominguez was thrown wildly past first base.
That run proved important when Cal State Monterey Bay scored twice with two outs in the ninth.
Chris Oropesa came on, and, after walking one to load the bases, struck out Duer to end the game and pick up his second save. Flemming got the well-deserved win and improved to 4-2.
Paul Martinez had three hits for Cal State L.A. in the opener, while
Rodrigo Martinez, Trejo and Dominguez had two hits each. Will Rosado, Gomez, Ty Morris and Matt Urakami had two hits each for the Otters.
In the nightcap, the Golden Eagles took a 3-0 lead in the first and never looked back.
Rodrigo Martinez doubled in the first run, Cuevas drove in another with a double and Hernandez made it 3-0 with a single.
The Golden Eagles extended their lead to 5-2 in the fourth thanks to a two-out throwing error and made it 8-2 with three runs in the fifth, two of them coming on a two-run home run by Meleski.
Gomez had a solo home run for the Otters.
Rodrigo Martinez, Meleski and Trejo had two hits each.
Cal State L.A. will complete the four-game series with Cal State Monterey Bay with a single game on Monday starting at 11 a.m.
