Box Score SAN BERNARDINO (April 12, 2015) – The Coyotes earned their first CCAA baseball series this weekend after they lost to San Francisco State 4-3 the series finale Sunday afternoon at Fiscalini Field.
Preston Tarter (2-4) came into the game with a lofty 9.00 earned run average but cooled the Coyotes' bats, allowing just six hits and two runs over the first five innings. Cory Davis pitched the final four frames, allowing just one hit to earn the save as the Gators improved to 14-20 on the season, 13-15 in the CCAA.
CSUSB (9-27, 7-20) took a 2-1 lead in the third when
Trevor Williams drove in
Aaron Owen with a base hit, but the Gators scored three runs in the sixth off losing pitcher
Tyler Rahier to take a 4-2 lead. Fernando Escobar singled and was doubled to third by catcher Mark Lindsay. Chad Thurston singled Escobar home with Lindsay taking third. Lindsay came home on Rahir's balk to make it 3-2. Thurston came around to score what proved to be the winning run on a base hit by Jacob Lopez, making it 4-2.
The Coyotes got a run back in the bottom of the sixth when
Grant Buchanan walked and advanced to third on an error. Lindsay then threw out
Jose Hernandez trying to steal second but Buchanan scored on the play to make it 4-3.
Davis allowed just one hit and three base runners over the final three innings for his sixth save on the season.
Owen continued his hot hitting for CSUSB with a pair of hits,and two runs scored while Buchanan was 2-for-3 and a run scored.
Warren Fishback was 1-for-3 with an RBI. Defensively, the Coyotes snuffed out Gator rallies with a pair of double plays.
The Gators had 11 hits off four Coyotes' pitchers. Lindsay was 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Escobar was 2-for-5 with a run scored. Lopez was 2-for-3 with an RBI and Bryce Cherry was 2-for-4.
Reliever
Brian Conley pitched well for the Coyotes, allowing just two hits and no runs in 3.1 innings.
Owen had a big series with nine hits in 13 at-bats, including two home runs, drove in three runs and scored eight times. In the process, he raised his season average to .307. Fishback, CSUSB's leading hitter, also had a big weekend with nine hits in 13 at-bats, six runs scored and seven RBI to boost his team-leading average to .356.
The Coyotes hit the road next week for a four-game series at Cal State East Bay.
