LOS ANGELES -- Cal State LA's baseball team took a little while to get untracked, but the end result was worth the wait.

The Golden Eagles hit four home runs and finished with a total of 18 hits in a 16-7 victory over La Sierra on Friday in their 2024 home opener at Reeder Field. Cal State LA (4-4) broke open a tight game with nine runs in the eighth inning and picked up its third straight victory. The Golden Eagles have scored at least 10 runs in each win.

Elijah Jackson hit a two-run home run to tie the game in the fifth inning, Andrew Duran hit a solo home run in the seventh inning and Matthew Piotrowski and Art Ruiz hit home runs to highlight the nine-run eighth inning rally.

Brent Jacques entered the game in the fifth inning and got the Golden Eagles out of a bases-loaded jam, then pitched three more strong innings to pick up his first victory since March 6, 2022. He missed part of the 2022 season and all of the 2023 season due to injury, but has returned in fine form so far this season. He has allowed only two hits and one run in 6 1/3 innings so far this season.

He went 3 1/3 innings on Friday and allowed two hits and one run with one walk and two strikeouts.

Dorsey Chatham started for the Golden Eagles and went 4 2/3 innings. He allowed two hits and three runs while walking five and striking out five. Anthony Diaz finished the game on the mound for the Golden Eagles in the ninth inning and recorded all three outs by strikeout.

Jackson went 2-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored and four RBI, while Piotrowski was 3-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBI.  Ruiz was 2-for-5 with three RBI, Duran was 3-for-5 with two runs scored and one RBI and Ethan Gonzalez and Kadyn Victorian each had a pair of hits and a run scored.

The Golden Eagles took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Piotrowski lined a two-out single to left, moved to third on a single by Duran and scored on a passed ball.

La Sierra took a 2-1 lead in the third on a two-run single by Colin Mitchell and extended the lead to 3-1 when Stephen Chavez singled and eventually scored on a groundout by Nicholas Fiallo.

Jacques got the Golden Eagles out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the fifth and Jackson followed a single by Kadyn Victorian with a two-run home run to tie it. Piotrowski later doubled and scored on a single by Ruiz to give the Golden Eagles the lead.

After La Sierra manufactured the tying run in the sixth, the Golden Eagles took the lead for good in the bottom of the inning. Malik Clayton walked and took second on a single by Gonzalez. A single by Victorian loaded the bases and Jackson drove in the go-ahead run with a groundout. Javy Espinoza followed with a run-scoring groundout to make it 6-4.

A solo home run Duran extended the lead to 7-4 in the seventh and the Golden Eagles erupted for nine runs in the eighth to put the game away. Piotrowski and Ruiz both hit two-run home runs to highlight the inning. Will Schwab had a pinch-hit two-run double and pinch hitter Drew Porter, Jackson and pinch-hitter Stevie Murata also drove in runs.

Cal State LA will play the second game of a three-game series against La Sierra on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.