TURLOCK -- After a lopsided loss ended its eight-game winning streak, Cal State LA's baseball team rebounded nicely to earn a key doubleheader split Friday in the beginning of a California Collegiate Athletic Association series at Stanislaus State.
The Golden Eagles dropped the opener, 18-1, but got a strong start from
Joey Deceglie and some clutch hitting to earn a 7-4 win in the seven-inning nightcap. Cal State LA (15-8, 12-6 CCAA) also got a scoreless inning of relief from
Dylan Suppan to lock down the important win in the nightcap.
Deceglie went six strong innings and bounced back nicely after a three-run fifth inning by the Warriors sliced a 7-1 lead down to 7-4. Deceglie worked a 1-2-3 sixth inning and then turned things over to Suppan, who allowed a pair of baserunners with two outs in the seventh before ending the game with a groundout.
Sean Watkins,
Nic Bereaud and
Adam Gordon scored two runs each for the Golden Eagles in the nightcap, while
Randy Buenrostro had a pair of runs batted in. Gordon had two of the Golden Eagles' eight hits in the nightcap.
Cal State LA, after the loss in the opener, fell behind 1-0 in the nightcap, but tied the game in the second on a bases-loaded walk to
Anthony Ayala and then broke the game open with four runs in the third and two more in the fourth.
Watkins reached on an error to start the game-deciding four-run rally in the third and moved to third on a double by Bereaud. Gordon singled in Watkins with the go-ahead run and Bereaud came around to score as well on an error to make it 3-1. Buenrostro drove in a run when he reached on an error to make it 4-1 and
Jordan Peabody singled in a run to make it 5-1.
Watkins reached first on another error to start the fourth and promptly stole his first base of the season. Watkins took third on a passed ball as Bereaud drew a walk and scored on a run-scoring single by
Jorge Garcia and Buenrostro drove in Bereaud with a groundout to make it 7-1.
Stanislaus State (14-12, 10-10 CCAA) scored three times in the fifth, but Deceglie retired the Warriors in order in the sixth and Suppan finished things off in the seventh.
Deceglie allowed four runs and four hits in six innings, while walking two and striking out seven.
The opener was a nightmare for the Golden Eagles, who surrendered 17 hits and nine walks and also hit five batters. The Warriors got three hits and five RBI from Brandon De La Guardia and three hits and five runs scored from Andrew Wheat.
The Golden Eagles' lone highlight came from
Anthony Ayala, who hit a solo home run to account for the Golden Eagles' only run. He had a pair of hits.
Joe Ryan allowed four hits and one run over seven innings for the Warriors.
