LOS ANGELES -- Cal State LA's baseball team took a walk on the wild side Friday night in a tight extra-inning win over British Columbia.
Andre Gregory drew a two-out, bases-loaded walk in the 10th inning to bring home
Jordan Peabody with the winning run of a 8-7 victory at Reeder Field. Gregory also pitched the final two innings of the game for the Golden Eagles and picked up his second win of the season on the mound.
Cal State LA (2-2) took advantage of two hit batters and two walks to break the 7-7 tie in the bottom of the 10th.
It was an exciting game with plenty of late-inning fireworks. Cal State LA carried a 5-3 lead into the eighth, but a solo home run by British Columbia's Lucas Soper and a two-run shot by Austen Butler gave the Thunderbirds a 6-5 lead. That advantage didn't last long because
Nic Bereaud blasted a towering two-run shot in the bottom of the inning to give the Golden Eagles a 7-6 lead.
Gregory came on in the top of the ninth to pitch, but Lichel Hirakawa-Kao hit a one-out solo home run to tie it. Gregory did a great job to get out of a two-on, one-out jam to keep the score tied.
Gregory struck out the side in the 10th inning to give the Golden Eagles another chance to win. Peabody was hit by a pitch to start the inning and Bereaud drew a one-out walk.
Randy Buenrostro was then hit by a pitch and, one out later, Gregory drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch to win it.
Angel Lerma started for the Golden Eagles and pitched well, allowing nine hits and three runs. He only allowed one more run after permitting two runs in the first.
Peabody was 2-for-4 and scored four runs for the Golden Eagles, while Bereaud was 2-for-4 with three RBI.
Adam Gordon had a pair of hits and two RBI and
Noe Garcia also drove in a run.
Soper was 4-for-5 with a pair of runs scored and Justin Orton was 4-for-4 with a pair of runs scored for the Thunderbirds (4-6). Butler drove in three runs
Buenrostro scored a pair of runs and also hit his first home run of the season for the Golden Eagles.
Noe Garcia drove in a run.
Cal State LA will conclude the series with British Columbia at Reeder Field on Saturday at 1 p.m.
