STOCKTON -- Cal State LA's baseball team had a rough outing Wednesday in its opening game at the California Collegiate Athletic Association Championship Tournament.
The No. 5 seed Golden Eagles allowed 11 runs in the first two innings and didn't pick up a hit after the second in a disappointing 19-1 loss to No. 2 UC San Diego at Banner Island Park. Cal State LA (27-23) will face No. 6 seed San Francisco State in an elimination game on Thursday at 11 a.m.
Very little went right for the Golden Eagles in Wednesday's loss. Cal State LA was issued 10 walks, but managed only a first-inning run and left the bases loaded twice in the first three innings. UC San Diego (35-15) had 20 hits in the game, including home runs from Zander Clarke, Steven Schuknecht, Alex Eliopulos and Nick Kitzmann. The Tritons scored in six of their eight at bats in the game.
The opening inning was telling. The Golden Eagles scored their only run of the game when
Anthony Ayala walked and eventually scored on a two-out run-scoring single by
Sean Watkins. The Golden Eagles then loaded the bases after walks to
Spencer Sundahl and
Nic Bereaud, but the inning ended when
Jordan Peabody's sharp ground ball hit Bereaud for the final out.
UC San Diego tied it in the bottom of the inning on a sacrifice fly by Alex Eliopulos and then took the lead for good on a run-scoring single by Justin Beck on a play that didn't end until a pair of throwing errors contributed to a third run for the Tritons.
The Tritons added eight runs in the second innings on seven hits and a pair of walks and included a two-run home run by Kitzmann.
In the third, Cal State LA drew four walks, but didn't score because the first was followed by a double play grounder and the inning ended with the bases loaded.
Starting with Thursday's games, the remainder of the tournament will be televised and live streamed. Details are available on the CCAA website at goccaa.org.
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