SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - The #4 California State University San Bernardino baseball team closed out its four-game series with Central Washington University by downing the Wildcats by a final score of 8-4 Saturday afternoon at Fiscalini Field.
With the victory, the Coyotes advance to 5-2 overall on the season.
The Wildcats got on the board first with a single run in the top of the first inning.
CSUSB answered in the bottom of the third with a pair of runs to take its first lead of the contest. Jason Shedlock (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) evened the score with an RBI single, followed two batters later by an RBI double from senior Daniel Garcia Jr. (San Bernardino, Calif.) to put the Yotes ahead 2-1.
San Bernardino added another run in the bottom of the fifth on a one-out RBI single from graduate rightfielder Giovanni Del Negro (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.). The Wildcats, however, got the run right back in the top of the sixth on a solo home run from Kevin Varner Jr.
In the bottom of the frame, the Coyotes took a 5-2 lead by bringing home a pair of runs. Junior Wyatt Hall (Port Angeles, Wash.) drove in the first run on an RBI double to left, and scored a batter later on a base hit from senior Takuto Kataoka (Kobe, Japan).
The Yotes took their largest lead of the afternoon in the bottom of the seventh. Pinch hitter Alec Bressler (Beaumont, Calif.) reached on an infield single to second base with the bases loaded to score Garcia from third, and Jeremy Giesegh (Upland, Calif.) also crossed home plate on the play thanks to a throwing error from the CWU second baseman. The overthrow gave the Yotes a 7-2 advantage.
Varner's second long ball of the afternoon, a two-run shot over the right field fence, cut into San Bernardino's lead at 7-4 in the top of the eighth, but that's as close as the Wildcats would get. CSUSB catcher Eric Aguayo (Riverside, Calif.) gave the Yotes some insurance in the bottom of the inning with an RBI groundout, giving the game its final score of 8-4.
Offensively, the Yotes had four players finish the day with a pair of hits. Kataoka went 2-for-2 with a walk, two runs scored and an RBI to lead San Bernardino, while Del Negro and Garcia each went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Shedlock went 2-for-5 for his fourth multi-hit game in six games played this season.
On the rubber, senior Luke Hempel (Glendale, Calif.) earned his first victory of the season, going six strong innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits with four strikeouts in the win.
The Coyotes will wrap up their eight-game season-opening home stand on Friday with a 2 p.m. first pitch against Biola University at Fiscalini Field.
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