SAN BERNARDINO -- Cal State LA's baseball team bowed out of the California Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament in a first-round game on Wednesday and will now play the waiting game until Sunday to learn if its season will continue.
The No. 4 Golden Eagles gave up four home runs in hitter-friendly Fiscalini Field on Wednesday and fell to host No. 5 seed Cal State San Bernardino, 12-4, in a single-elimination game. Cal State LA (26-25) got home runs from
Carson Panarisi and
Ben Lee, but the Coyotes (24-25) got four home runs, including a grand slam from Garret Barto in the sixth inning that highlighted a six-run outburst that increased a 5-4 lead to 11-4. Barto had a pair of home runs, while Keedan Nadeau and Eddie Alfaro also had home runs.
Cal State LA will now cast its sights on the NCAA West Regionals. The Golden Eagles entered the week ranked No. 6 in the region and six teams from the West will qualify. The tournament field will be announced on Sunday.
Panarisi had a good day the plate for the Golden Eagles and was 3-for-4 with a two-run home run. Lee had a pair of hits, including a solo home run.
Adam Axtell had a pair of hits.
Jonathan Manuel got the start for the Golden Eagles and deserved a better fate. He gave up a pair of unearned runs in the second inning and then gave up a two-run home run in the third inning that barely snuck over the centerfield fence that made it 4-0. He kept the Golden Eagles in the game through five innings before departing with two on and two outs in the sixth. Both those runs scored on a grand slam later in the inning from Barto that broke the game open.
Devyn Hernandez went 8 2/3 innings for the Coyotes and got the win after allowing eight hits and four runs.
After trailing 4-0 in the fourth, the Golden Eagles scored three times to get close.
Ethan Gonzalez drove in the first run on a fielder's choice and Panarisi followed with a two-run home run to cut the deficit to 4-3.
After Barto hit a solo home run for the Coyotes to make it 5-3, Lee homered to left to bring the Golden Eagles within a run for the second time.
Cal State San Bernardino responded with a pair of run-scoring singles and Barto's grand slam home run to boost the lead to 11-4 in the sixth and Cal State LA never recovered.
Cal State LA chased Hernandez in the ninth inning, but the Coyotes got a dazzling play at third base on a smash by
Cesar Chavez with two runners on base to end it.
Cal State LA will learn its NCAA fate on Sunday on a selection show on ncaa.com. The time has not yet been listed yet by the NCAA.
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