LOS ANGELES -- Cal State LA's baseball team unleashed a stunning rally Friday night that showed what can happen when a team keeps battling.

The Golden Eagles exploded for seven runs on 10 hits in an electric seventh-inning rally to beat UC San Diego, 8-7, in a California Collegiate Athletic Association game at Reeder Field. Cal State LA (21-21, 14-18 CCAA) snapped a frustrating eight-game losing streak and took a big step toward a possible CCAA Championship Tournament berth. The Golden Eagles' victory, coupled with a pair of losses by Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday, leaves Cal State LA three games clear of the Toros with six games left for the third and final spot in the CCAA South Division.

To say the Golden Eagles' rally came out of nowhere wouldn't be entirely accurate because Cal State LA had picked up nine hits through its first six at bats with only one run to show for it. That run came in the third courtesy of a run-scoring groundout by Angel Sanchez and tied the game at 1-1. UC San Diego, though, scored three times in the fifth, once in the sixth and twice in the seventh to take a 7-1 lead.

Then the Golden Eagles busted loose.

Nathan Navarrete singled and promptly took third on a single by Sanchez. Navarrete scored and Sanchez moved to second on a wild pitch to make it 7-2. Christian Broussard, Jr. hustled his way to an infield single when a tricky hop eluded charging UC San Diego shortstop Tyler Howsley as Sanchez took third. Sean Watkins followed with a sharp single up the middle to drive in Sanchez and make it 7-3. Jorge Garcia then collected a two-run double to make it 7-5. Anthony Ayala picked up an infield single to put two runners on and they moved up thanks to a beautiful sacrifice bunt by Andrew Hermanson. Pinch hitter Garrett Dean delivered a clutch two-run double to tie the game and took third on another hit, this one a single by Drew Seelman. That brought up Navarrete again and he singled to left to drive in Dean with the go-ahead run.

Given the lead, Cal State LA relievers George Alamillo and Gabriel Gentner made it stand up. Alamillo worked around a leadoff walk in a scoreless eighth inning and Gentner was dominating in an overpowering ninth inning, striking out two of the three batters he faced for his seventh save of the season.

Cal State LA finished the game with 19 hits. Navarrete, Sanchez and Garcia all had three hits, while Broussard, Watkins and Seelman had two hits each. The top five hitters in the Cal State LA lineup went 13-for-24 with five runs scored and five runs batted in.

UC San Diego (29-12, 21-10) had 12 hits and also got six walks. Tyler Durna, who had three hits on Thursday, had two more on Friday, while Keenan Brigman also had two hits and Chad Crosbie drove in a pair of runs.

Greg Humbert started for the Golden Eagles and allowed four runs through five innings. UC San Diego's Adrian Orozco allowed nine hits and one run through six innings. Cal State LA's bullpen was flawless over the final three innings with Merrick Patito and Holden Berger combining to blank the Tritons in the seventh and Alamillo and Gentner finishing things up.

Cal State LA will conclude the series against UC San Diego with a doubleheader in La Jolla beginning at 1 p.m.