SAN BERNARDINO -- Fiscalini Field has been home sweet home for Coyotes baseball as they earned their sixth straight win with a doubleheader sweep over visiting Cal State East Bay, winning 6-1 and 10-2 on Sunday in CCAA play.
CSUSB is 20-12 overall and second place in the CCAA at 17-10 heading into Monday's series finale against the Pioneers (14-23, 8-19). The victories pushed CSUSB has won 14 of its last 18 games with 13 games remaining in the regular season.
Game 1: Coyotes 6, Cal State East Bay 1 (box score)
Junior left-hander
Mike Mudron threw eight innings and struck out eight with three walks as he improved to 5-0 on the season and watched his ERA drop from 1.82 to 1.69. He allowed five hits -- all singles.
The Coyotes grabbed a 1-0 lead in the sixth on
Paul Eshleman's one-out single to center that scored
Curtis Cassise, who led off the inning with a single.
CSUEB scored its only run in the seventh when David Castillo scored on a wild pitch from Mudron.
But CSUSB came through with a four-run seventh, then added a run in the eighth for the final score.
In the seventh, Mendoza, who singled, gave the Coyotes a 2-1 lead when he scored on a wild pitch. Chapman singled and after Cassise struck out,
Brandon Day reached on a walk. That brought up
Darren Dworak, who laced a double to right that scored Chapman. Hot-hitting Eshleman then hit a two-run double to right and the Coyotes led 5-1.
Matt Haney led off the eighth with a towering home run to deep right center. It was his second onthe year.
Dworak was 4-for-4 and Eshleman was 2-for-3 with three RBI.
Game 2: Coyotes 10, Cal State East Bay 2 (box score)
This was a game that saw Pioneers starter A.J. Gallardo in complete control early, until he fell apart in the third with a 1-0 lead.
The senior left-hander had six strikeouts in the first 2 1/3 innings until the Coyotes got on track.
Mike Newell's double to center broke up the no-hit bid and that began a six-run, seven-hit inning.
Chapman answered Newell's double with his first home run of the season, a deep shot over the right-field wall.
Jake Pilkerton followed with a single and Day had another single. Eshleman came through with the Coyotes' fifth consecutive hit -- a single -- and the Coyotes had the bases loaded with one out.
Dworak drove in a run on a sacrifice fly to left and
Edwin Mendoza followed with an RBI-single to right.
Matt Winn sent a bouncer to Gallardo, who mishandled the ball and that ended Gallardo's day.
Eric Dow greeted reliever Michael Pope with a single through the right side and scored Mendoza.
The Pioneers got a run in the fourth, but CSUSB answered with one of its own when Dworak reached on an error that scored Pilkerton.
In the sixth, Day had an RBI-triple to center that scored Pilkerton and Eshleman then connected for a two-run home run over the left-center wall and CSUSB led 10-2.
Senior RHP
Bryant Hollingsworth improved to 4-0. He gave up three hits and struck out six with only one walk. Senior All-American
Josh Pond came on in the seventh and struck out two.