TURLOCK -- Senior right-hander
Matt Long scattered five hits and struck out 12 in a complete-game performance Sunday as Cal State San Bernardino defeated Cal State Stanislaus, 5-1, in a CCAA conference series finale at Warriors Field.
The victory enabled the Coyotes to even the four-game series at 2-2 and improve to 15-18 overall, 6-14 in the CCAA. The Warriors, in second place in the CCAA entering the weekend, are now 24-10 overall and 16-4 in the CCAA.
Long (4-4) gave up his only run of the game in the seventh while his teammates banged out 12 hits against four Warriors pitchers. Starter Matt Costa (1-3) gave up three runs on six hits in 3.2 innings to take the loss.
CSUSB returns home just long enough to begin Spring Quarter classes on Tuesday and the hit the road again for a four-game series at Cal State Monterey Bay, starting Friday.
Drew Valenzuela had three hits in five at-bats and scored a run while
Brent Planck,
Johnnie Haas and
Justin Watson each had two hits. Dante Palacios and Jacob Thelen each had two hits for Stanislaus.
The Coyotes scored an unearned run in the first when Planck reached base on an error with one out, advanced to third on a single by Haas and scored when
Jason Klug grounded into a fielder's choice.
CSUSB made it 3-0 in the fourth, scoring twice on three hits with Mike Minjares driving in a run as he hit into a fielder's choice and Haas singled to drive in the second run.
In the sixth,
Nate Pratt reached on a leadoff infield single, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Planck's sacrifice fly.
Stanislaus got on the board in the seventh, via a leadoff homer by Palacios but Long retired the next three batters in order.
Planck brought home the Coyotes' final run in the eighth with a single to score Watson who singled to lead off the inning, was sacrificed to second by Pratt and went to third on a passed ball.
In the bottom of the ninth, Palacios singled with one out but Long struck out Adam Fonville and Chase Perez to end the game.
