Box Score: Coyotes 3, UC San Diego 2

SAN BERNARDINO – The top two teams in the CCAA opened their weekend series Thursday afternoon.

And if the remaining three games between league-leading UC San Diego and the Coyotes are anything like the opener, the series will go down as the league's best series of the year with an epic start.

Senior Paul Eshleman came through with a two-out, walk-off single to right for a 3-2 victory for the Coyotes over the Tritons.  It marked the second time that Eshleman secured a walk-off win, the first in the Coyotes' 4-3 win over Chico State on April 7.

CSUSB improved to 21-13 overall and gained a game on the Tritons in the CCAA race at 18-11.

UCSD is 24-17, 22-11.

This contest featured a little bit of everything with Coyotes starter RHP Casey McCarthy earning a complete-game victory. The Newhall native scattered six hits, just one extra-base hit. He struck out six, walked four in a 131-pitch performance.

CSUSB took the lead off Tritons' ace Ryan Goodbrand with two runs in the fifth. Edwin Mendoza led off with a double to left and moved to third on Mike Newell's sacrifice bunt. Ethan Chapman earned a run-scoring single through the right side. After Curtis Cassise flew out to deep left, Brandon Day answered with a run-scoring single to right and CSUSB had a 2-0 lead.

McCarthy threw shutout baseball through seven innings, but UCSD got on the board in the eighth. Danny Susdorf led off with a double, then moved over to third on a one-out ground-out from Garrett Tuck. Susdorf then scored on a wild pitch.

The Coyotes went down in order in the eighth and McCarthy came out to wrap up the ninth. He retired Justin Rahn (ground-out) and Scott Liske (strikeout) and it looked as if the Coyotes would have a 1-2-3 inning. But pinch-hitter James Mossholder hit a 2-2 pitch to second baseman Cassise for what looked like a routine grounder.

But Cassise threw wide right to first and Mossholder advanced to second on the error. Sam Michaels followed and delivered the tying-run with a single to left.

That set-up the Coyotes' ninth where Newell led off with a singled and moved to second on a wild pitch. After Chapman struck out, Cassise came up and had a quality at-bat, where he worked a full count and drew a walk off Tritons' closer Tony York.

Day then hit into a fielder's choice that forced out Cassise and the Coyotes had runners at the corners with one out.

York then intentionally walked Darren Dworak, and that brought up Eshleman, who came through on a 2-2 pitch with hard liner to right that drew the Coyotes to a celebration in right.

Eshleman finished 3-for-5, while Dworak and Newell each had two hits. Mendoza had the Coyotes' only extra-base hit.

Susdorf had three of the Tritons' six hits.

The two teams return to Fiscalini Field on Friday. First pitch is 3 p.m.