Cal State LA Postgame Interview

STOCKTON -- Cal State LA's baseball team did a little bit of everything in a game-turning fourth-inning rally Thursday in an elimination game at the California Collegiate Athletic Association Championship Tournament.

The Golden Eagles, held hitless through the first three innings, exploded for six runs in the fourth and went on to a 10-7 victory over San Francisco State at Stockton's Banner Island Park. Cal State LA (28-23), the No. 5 seed, stays alive in the double-elimination tournament and will play again on Friday at 3 p.m. against an opponent that will be determined later Thursday. No. 6 seed San Francisco State (24-28) bows out of the tourney.

The Golden Eagles turned things around after trailing 5-0 after three innings. Jorge Garcia followed singles by Anthony Ayala and Andre Gregory with a deep blast well over the left-center field fence for his ninth home run of the season. Sean Watkins then hit a towering a home run to left that made it 5-4 and suddenly the Golden Eagles were fired up. Spencer Sundahl and Nic Bereaud drew walks and each advanced a base thanks to a key sacrifice bunt from Jordan Peabody. Randy Buenrostro's groundout scored Sundahl with the tying run and Noe Garcia delivered a clutch two-out single to drive in Bereaud with the go-ahead run.

Bereaud had a three-run home run in the seventh inning to make it 9-5 and delivered a long sacrifice fly to right for Cal State LA's 10th and final run in the ninth.

James Mendez, coming off eight innings of shutout baseball in his last start on Saturday, came on in relief in this one and limited the Gators to just four hits and two runs over the final 6 1/3 innings. Mendez picked up his sixth victory of the season in his second consecutive big performance. The senior right-hander was named CCAA Pitcher of the Week for his brilliant outing against Cal State San Bernardino in a 13-0 win that clinched a tournament bid for the Golden Eagles and he gave the Golden Eagles a chance to rally with a spectacular relief job.

Cal State LA, which had only three hits in an opening-game loss to UC San Diego on Wednesday, erupted for 13 hits over the final six innings on Thursday. Gregory, Jorge Garcia, Bereaud and Buenrostro had two hits each. San Francisco State had nine hits, including home runs from Chris Smutny, Jack Harris and Johny Juarez.

Saxon Andross got the start for the Golden Eagles and worked a scoreless first inning and allowed only a two-out run in the second. He ran into trouble in the third, though, and departed with two outs after San Francisco State scored four times. Mendez came on, gave up a bunt single, and then got out of the inning with a groundball out.

Mendez then blanked the Gators until Juarez hit a two-run home run in the eighth that cut the Golden Eagles' lead to 9-7. Garcia singled to lead off the ninth, Orona collected a double with one out and Bereaud's long sacrifice fly built the lead back to three runs.

Mendez quickly got the first two outs in the ninth and, after a single by Trevor Rogers and a walk to Smutny, got a difficult catch in foul territory from catcher Noe Garcia for the final out of the game.