WALNUT -- Cal State LA's baseball bounced back impressively from a disappointing loss in the opener to earn a doubleheader split with Montana State Billings Saturday.

The Golden Eagles were stunned by a four-run ninth-inning rally by the Yellowjackets in the opener that resulted in a 9-7 loss, but they showed great resilience by coming back for a 15-5 win in the seven-inning nightcap to earn the split. 

Cal State LA (2-1) had 22 runs and 27 hits in the doubleheader.

A.J. Salgado was a force at the plate in both games, going 6-of-9 with four runs scored and four RBI. He had two doubles, two triples and two singles, recording one of each in both games. Hayden Luff had five hits in the doubleheader, including a 4-for-5 performance in the opener.

Cal State LA battled back from a 5-1 deficit in the opener with three runs in the fourth and three runs in the sixth and seemed poised for a victory in the opener before disaster struck in the ninth inning. Micah Hee came on for the save, but was done in by three errors, including a fielding and throwing error on the same play with Montana State Billings down to its final out that cleared the bases and gave the Yellowjackets the lead. Ty Wilson, who tossed 3 2/3 innings of shutout baseball, worked around a one-out single in the bottom of the ninth to end it.

The Golden Eagles jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two innings of the nightcap and, after the Yellowjackets tied it with three runs in the top of the third, exploded for eight runs in the bottom of the frame to take command. Salgado started the uprising with a triple and also added a two-run double later in the inning. He scored two of the Golden Eagles' eight runs in the inning.

Brent Jacques allowed three runs over three innings of the nightcap, Yuji Sakane allowed only three hits and one run over the next three innings to earn the win and Deandrey Carter allowed only one run in the seventh inning to close things out.

Salgado was 3-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBI, Will Picketts and Gerardo Castaneda both went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBI and Thomas Chavez and Hayden Luff each drove in a pair of runs. Johnny Pacheco, batting leadoff, went 2-for4 with two runs scored and one RBI.

In the opener, Julien Garcia pitched three scoreless innings to get the Golden Eagles off to a good start and, after enduring a rocky fourth-inning when he allowed five runs, Owen Hunt didn't allow a run over his final two innings of work. Mikell Chavez allowed only one hit and struck out one over two innings of scoreless relief.

Noe Garcia scored on a sacrifice fly from Pacheco to give the Golden Eagles a 1-0 lead in the second before Montana State Billings bunched together four hits and two walks to score five times in the fourth. AJ Wagenmann had a two-run double and Hayden Foltz had a two-run triple for the big hits of the inning.

Cal State LA scored three times in the bottom of the fourth to close to within one run. Luff drove in a run with a single, Picketts drove in a run with a fielder's choice and Salgado doubled in a run to make it 5-4.

The Golden Eagles took the lead in the sixth. Wilem Drozdowski led things off with a double and scored on a sacrifice fly by Picketts to tie the game. Salgado tripled in Luff to give the Golden Eagles the lead and later scored on a wild pitch to make it 7-5.

That's how it stayed after two scoreless innings from Mikell Chavez before the fateful ninth inning that got away from the Golden Eagles.

The two teams will conclude the four-game series with a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Mt. SAC