LOS ANGELES -- Cal State LA's baseball team continued its winning ways in the opener of Friday's California Collegiate Athletic Association doubleheader, but the Golden Eagles were forced to settle for a split after a tight loss in the nightcap.

The Golden Eagles banged out 17 hits in the opener to win 8-4, but managed only five hits in the nightcap in a 3-1 loss. Cal State LA (18-10, 15-8 CCAA) has now won 12 of its last 15 games, but slipped a game behind first-place Cal State Monterey Bay, which swept a doubleheader from Cal State San Marcos on Friday. Chico State (17-14, 13-12 CCAA) snapped a four-game losing streak with the win in the nightcap.

Cal State LA backed the strong pitching of James Mendez and Angel Lerma in the opener with a 17-hit attack. Sean Watkins went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBI. He hit a big two-run home run as part of a three-run rally in the sixth inning that helped Cal State LA turn a 5-4 lead into an 8-4 advantage. Lerma took it from there with three scoreless innings to earn his first save.

Mendez allowed four hits and two earned runs in his six innings. He walked four and struck out two.

Anthony Moreno went 4-for-5 with one run scored and two RBI and Anthony Ayala went 3-for-4 with one run scored.

After Chico State scored a run without a hit in the first, the Golden Eagles struck for three runs in the bottom of the inning to take the lead for good. Watkins singled in the first run and Moreno drove a clutch two-out single up the middle to make it 3-1.

Cal State LA stretched its lead to 5-2 in the third on a run-scoring single by Jorge Garcia and a run-scorng double by Armett Johnson.

Chico State inched closer with single runs in the fourth and sixth innings, but Cal State LA put the game out of reach with its three-run rally in the sixth. After Watkins' two-run home run, Adam Gordon delivered a pinch-hit run-scoring single to make it 8-4.

In the second game, the Golden Eagles got an outstanding start from Joey Deceglie, who allowed only one run in six innings before Chico State got two runs to break a 1-1 tie in the seventh. The Wildcats took a 1-0 lead in the second on a two-out run-scoring double by RJ Hassey.

That's how the score remained as Deceglie and Andrew Schantz and Dan Beavers matched zeroes into the sixth when the Golden Eagles tied the game and missed a chance to score more. Nate Alam led off with a walk and Ayala singled to put a pair of runners on base. Andre Gregory greeted Jae Wagner with a double off the right-field wall, but the Golden Eagles only advanced one base and loaded the bases instead of scoring a run. The game-tying run eventually scored when Watkins reached on a fielder's choice, hustling down the line to easily beat the attempted double-play attempt.  

The Wildcats then got run-scoring doubles from Kyle Blakeman and Turner Olson to take the lead. Cal State LA threatened in the seventh when Nic Bereaud singled with one out and Moreno hit a shot to left that Chico State's Olson made a leaping grab to deny Moreno of a probable double. Wagner then got the final out for Chico State.

Cal State LA will return to action on Saturday with the series finale against Chico State at 11 a.m.