SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - The California State University San Bernardino baseball team knocked off Cal State East Bay 16-7 in the opener of their CCAA series at Fiscalini Field on Friday afternoon.
With the victory, the Coyotes improve to 17-20 overall on the season, and 10-17 in the CCAA.
Joe Baca Jr., a Cal State San Bernardino baseball alum, threw out the ceremonial first pitch as he presented a generous donation to the baseball program.
Baca played three years on the Cal State San Bernardino baseball team, from 1990 to 1992. His teams won two NCAA Division III West Regional Championships, and appeared in two College World Series. In 1992, he was on the first CSUSB baseball team to compete in Division II.
Soon after, Baca was elected to the California State Assembly as a representative of the 62nd District, and now serves as a member of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors.
East Bay took the early advantage with single runs in each of the first two innings to take a 2-0 lead after an inning and a half, but CSUSB quickly answered.
The Yotes posted three runs in the bottom of the second to take a 3-2 lead. Junior
Adrian Hinojosa (Chula Vista, Calif.) drove in the first Coyote run of the day on a base hit through the right side. After a
Riley Parker (Snohomish, Wash.) sacrifice bunt,
Eric Aguayo (Riverside, Calif.) knotted the score with an RBI groundout. The Yotes took the lead on an error a batter later.
CSUSB tacked on three more in the bottom of the third to take a 6-2 lead.
Giovanni Del Negro (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) opened the inning with an RBI double to right center, followed by RBI singles from
Daryl Ruiz (Corona, Calif.) and Aguayo.
After East Bay posted three runs in the top of the fourth, San Bernardino recorded their third consecutive three-run frame thanks to bases loaded walks from Ruiz, Hinojosa, and Aguayo to put the Yotes ahead 9-5.
Cal State East Bay pulled to within three at 9-6 in the top of the fifth, but CSUSB put the game away with four runs in the bottom of the frame to take a 13-6 lead. Ruiz notched a two-run single to open the scoring in the inning, before Hinojosa belted a two-run shot for his second home run of the season to put the Yotes up by seven.
The Coyotes tacked on some insurance with a
Garrett Macias (Iwakuni, Japan) solo home run in the top of the seventh, followed by a two-run single from Parker, giving the game its final score of 16-7.
Del Negro had a huge day at the dish for CSUSB, leading the way with a 4-for-5 outing, with four runs scored and an RBI. Hinojosa and Ruiz each also notched two hits, four RBIs, and three runs scored in the victory.
Benny Olguin (Alhambra, Calif.) got the win for CSUSB on the rubber, striking out four batters over five innings pitched for his third victory of the year. Senior
Matthew Henry (Fontana, Calif.) picked up the rare three-inning save, allowing no earned runs on just two hits for his first save of the season.
The Coyotes and Pioneers will play games two and three of their series on Saturday at Fiscalini Field. First pitch in game one is slated for 12 p.m.
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