LOS ANGELES -- Cal State LA's baseball team had to settle for a split in Thursday's doubleheader against Cal State San Bernardino.
The Golden Eagles won the opener behind another strong start from Danny Diaz, 7-2, but the Coyotes got a go-ahead home run in the top of the seventh to win the nightcap, 7-6. Cal State LA (15-30, 14-20 CCAA) remains 1 1/2 games behind third-place Cal State San Bernardino (21-26, 16-19 CCAA) in the California Collegiate Athletic Association with two games remaining.
Diaz was outstanding once again, limiting the Coyotes to just two runs over eight innings. He scattered nine hits, walked three and struck out six and improved to 4-1 on the season.
Gabriel Gentner, who was named the CCAA Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday, worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth and got the final three outs to end it.
Paul Martinez went 3-for-4 with one RBI, while
Nathan Navarrete and
Dakota Hernandez had two hits each. Hernandez slugged a solo home run to lead off the seventh inning and extend the Golden Eagles' lead to 5-2.
Tyler Wells went six innings for the Coyotes and gave up eight hits and four unearned runs. He was hurt by three Cal State San Bernardino errors.
Martinez had a two-out single in the first inning to stake the Golden Eagles to a 1-0 lead, but the Coyotes scored single runs in the fifth and sixth innings to take the lead. Cal State LA took the lead for good with three runs in the sixth inning.
Ryan Dixon had a double to move
Garrett Dean to third and both runners scored when Wells threw wildly to first, allowing
Angel Sanchez to reach third. A bunt single by
Isaac Dominguez drove in Garcia with the third out of the inning.
After Hernandez' home run made it 5-2, the Golden Eagles got two more in the eighth. Dominguez reached on an error and scored on a triple by Navarrete, who then scored on an infield single by
Ryan Welker.
In the nightcap, the Golden Eagles battled back from an early 3-0 deficit and tied the game in the sixth before a solo home run by Brian Lockey with one out in the seventh put the Coyotes up, 7-6.
Hernandez was 3-for-4 with one RBI, while Navarrete was 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run scored. Martinez hit his first home run of the season and Sanchez was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
Lockey had a two-run single to highlight a three-run first inning for the Coyotes, but the Golden Eagles got two runs back in the second with Dominguez and Navarrete picking up RBIs.
Mitchell Moore worked all seven innings for the Golden Eagles and gave up 10 hits and five earned runs. Don Sullivan went 5 1/3 innings for the Coyotes, while William Ouellette picked up the win with 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.
The home run by Martinez in the fifth cut the deficit to 6-4 and the Golden Eagles tied it with two runs in the sixth. Welker reached on an error to drive in one run and a single by Hernandez drove in Navarrete with the tying run.
Lockey broke the tie with a one-out home run in the seventh and the Golden Eagles were retired in order in the bottom of the inning to end it.
Cal State LA will return to action on Friday with a game at Cal State San Bernardino beginning at 3 p.m.
Lockey was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBI and Grant Buchanan was 3-for-4 with two runs scored
