SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The California State University San Bernardino baseball team dropped a pair of non-conference contests to Westmont College Saturday afternoon at Russell Carr Field.

Westmont won 9-7 in game one, followed by a 8-7 decision in game two.

The defeats see the Yotes drop to 1-6 overall on the season

Game 1: Westmont 9, Cal State San Bernardino 7

For the second game in a row, the Coyotes got on the board first thanks to an RBI single in the top of the first inning from redshirt junior Eddie Alfaro (Moreno Valley, Calif.). The base knock plated senior Jeremy Giesegh (Upland, Calif.), putting CSUSB up 1-0.

Westmont answered with a pair of runs on a two-run homer in the bottom of the first, and held a 7-1 lead by the time the Coyotes scored again in the top of the seventh. Also for the second game in a row, Alfaro cut into the deficit with a two run homer down the line in left, pulling the Yotes to within four. 

After Westmont stretched their lead to 8-3 with a single run in the bottom of the seventh, the Coyotes made it very interesting by scoring four in the top of the eight to draw to within one. Senior Dom Dominguez (Victorville, Calif.) started the rally for the Coyotes with an RBI single, before redshirt junior Derek Hurtado (Murrieta, Calif.) crossed home on a wild pitch. Alfaro notched his fourth RBI of the inning on a base hit to left, and Dominguez capped the inning by scoring CSUSB's second run on a wild pitch in the inning. 

Westmont added another run on a balk in the bottom of the eighth, but would not need it as the visitors failed to score in the top of the ninth.

Alfaro continued his torrent weekend with a 3-for-4 effort, driving in four. Junior catcher Eric Aguayo (Riverside, Calif.) was the only other Coyote to record multiple hits, going 2-for-4.

On the bump, the loss was charged to redshirt junior Kailer Saunders (Boise, Idaho), who went five innings and struck out five. The bullpen was a bright spot for the Yotes in the first contest of the day, as Harrison Cordeiro (Chicago, Ill.), Aidan Colin (Garden Grove, Calif.), and Jesse Alfaro (Moreno Valley, Calif.) combined for three innings of relief, allowing just one earned run on two hits.

Game 2: Westmont 8, Cal State San Bernardino 7

An Eddie Alfaro RBI double in the top of the first inning gave CSUSB their third first inning lead of the series in the final game, but a pair of Westmont home runs in the bottom of the frame saw the Yotes in an early 3-1 hole.

The Warriors scored two more in the bottom of the fourth to go ahead by four, but junior Juni Rodriguez (Hemet, Calif.) leveled the score with one swing in the top of the fifth. Rodriguez sent a grand slam over the wall in right field, already the fourth grand slam hit by the Coyotes this season, knotting the game at 5-5.

An inning later, a two-run bomb from Dominguez gave the Yotes their first lead since 1-0. The 7-5 advantage held until the bottom of the seventh and final inning, when Westmont scored three times to win the game. The walk-off winner came on a costly error that could have sent the game to extra innings.

For the game, Eddie Alfaro and sophomore Keedan Nadeau each had a pair of hits for the Yotes, while Giesegh walked and scored three times each.

Next up for the Yotes, they will start a four-game series with Central Washington University on Friday. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m.

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