Box Score: Sonoma State 3, Coyotes 2

LA JOLLA -- The Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes suffered a heartbreaking way to end the 2012 season as they were dealt a 3-2 loss to Sonoma State in an elimination game in the CCAA Tourney on Friday.

CSUSB ended its season 27-20, while Sonoma State (26-24) advances to tonight's game against UC San Diego/Chico State with the winner moving on to Saturday's title game.

Sonoma State won the game when Coyotes' closer Josh Pond was called for a balk with a runner at third and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning.

It was a tough way for the Coyotes to end their season as they came back from a 1-0 deficit with two runs in the ninth in improbable fashion.

Senior Brandon Day lifted a sharp, sinking two-out flair to left field that scored pinch-runner Jeff Terzo from third and ended the Coyotes' drought of an 0-for-11 effort with runners in scoring position for the game.

With Day at first, fellow senior Paul Eshleman reached back and sent a high, fly ball off SSU starter Thomas Lee to right field that continued to carry. The ball kept going and eventually hit the top of the fence, bounced back into play and culminated in an RBI-triple and the Coyotes, who were down to one strike from ending the game held the lead 2-1.

"I thought it was a routine fly ball that the right fielder would catch,'' Eshleman said. "But it kept carrying.''

Coyotes coach Don Parnell had a little bit more faith in his senior.

"This place is known for the wind blowing left to right,'' he said. "Anytime that ball gets up in right field, it's trouble.''

In the bottom of the ninth, Steven Filippi led off with a single off reliever Kerry Kelley, moved to second on a sac bunt, then third on a wild pitch.

Jeff Boulware followed with a hard shot to second that Curtis Cassise fielded, who went home on the play. But the ball sailed away from Eshleman and SSU had a runner at second with one out and the game tied at 2-2.

Pond then came in and struck out pinch-hitter Danny Dworkin looking.

Lead-off hitter Jackson Stogner was intentionally walked, but not before the first pitch from Pond went wide, and Boulware advanced to third.

Stogner then stole second as Kimura fouled off a pitch that catcher Eshleman caught. SSU had runners on second and third., On the next pitch, Pond set-up, then stopped himself while in delivery. The balk was called and SSU won the game.

"It may be how the game ended, but the game wasn't lost on one play,'' Parnell said. "We did not have enough timely hits today and we had a couple of defensive lapses. It's a tough way for the game to end.''

For eight innings, both starters were in fine form as each reached at least the eighth inning. For Coyotes LHP starter Cory Caruso, he allowed just one run, scattered six hits and struck out three in eight innings.

Caruso's counterpart, Lee threw 8.2 innings, struck out five and walked three.

Kimura gave the Seawolves a 1-0 lead in the third on a double down the right-field line that scored Justin Serraro, who singled.

Matt Haney, Eric Dow and Day each had two hits. Dow saw his first action of the tourney and responded with a 2-for-3 effort and a sacrifice bunt.

The game was the final one for 15 seniors -- Eshleman, Dow, Haney, Day, Caruso, Pond, Terzo, Mike Newell, Bryant Hollingsworth, Darren Dworak, Alex Gutierrez, Josh Lee, Edwin Mendoza, Casey McCarthy and Kyle Krogman.