CARSON, Calif. — The Cal State San Bernardino baseball team clinched a spot in the 2026 CCAA Baseball Tournament on Friday afternoon, earning a doubleheader split against Cal State Dominguez Hills at Toro Field.

The Yotes fell 18-12 in game one before bouncing back for a 14-2 win in game two.

The Coyotes move to 23-24 overall and 15-15 in CCAA play.
 

Game 1: CSUDH 18, CSUSB 12

The Coyotes struck first in the top of the first inning as freshman Tyson Pettingill (Overton, Nev.) scored on a double-play ball to give CSUSB a 1-0 lead.

After Dominguez Hills answered with two runs in the second and four more in the third, the Coyotes got one back in the fourth when senior Benji Solano (Chula Vista, Calif.) singled to left to bring home sophomore Keedan Nadeau (Highland, Calif.).

CSUSB put together its biggest offensive stretch in the fifth inning. Senior Dom Dominguez (Victorville, Calif.) opened the frame with a solo home run to right, Nadeau later delivered an RBI double, senior Jeremy Giesegh (Upland, Calif.) added a run with a sacrifice fly, and Solano followed with an RBI single.

Dominguez led off the sixth with his second home run of the game, cutting the deficit to 11-7.

The Toros responded with six runs in the sixth and added another in the seventh to extend their lead.

The Coyotes added a run in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Greg Luna that brought in Pettingill.

CSUSB closed the scoring in the ninth as Solano recorded an RBI single before Pettingill  launched a three-run home run, but it was not enough.

Dominguez finished game one with three hits, two home runs, and two RBIs, while Solano had three hits and three RBIs. Pettingill scored three times and drove in three, and Nadeau added two RBIs.

Junior Ivan Rodriguez (San Bernardino, Calif.) took the loss for CSUSB, working 2.2 innings while allowing eight runs on nine hits and striking out one.

Game 2: CSUSB 14, CSUDH 2

CSUSB wasted no time offensively in the second game. In the first inning, redshirt senior Garret Barto (Pittsburgh, Pa.) singled through the left side to score Pettingill, and two batters later junior Alejandro McKay (San Diego, Calif.) hammered a three-run home run to right that also scored Barto and Dominguez. The home run marked CSUSB's 86th of the season, setting a new single-season program record.

The Coyotes broke the game open in the third inning when Barto crushed a three-run homer to left center, bringing home Pettingill and Solano to make it 7-0.

In the fourth, Nadeau tripled to right, Solano followed with an RBI single to plate Nadeau, and Dominguez singled through the right side to score Solano as CSUSB extended the lead to 10-0.

After the Toros scored twice in the bottom of the fourth, the Coyotes answered again in the fifth when Nadeau singled to left center to bring home McKay.

CSUSB added three more runs in the seventh. Derek Hurtado (Murrieta, Calif.) delivered an RBI double, and McKay followed with a two-RBI single to cap the scoring at 14-2.

Barto led the way in game two with two hits and four RBIs, while McKay drove in five runs and Nadeau collected three hits and two RBIs. Solano scored three times.

Redshirt junior Kailer Saunders (Boise, Idaho) turned in a dominant outing for the Coyotes, throwing a complete game and allowing just two runs on five hits over seven innings. He struck out four and improved to 7-3 on the year. It also marked his sixth complete game of the season.

Cal State San Bernardino closes out the regular season against the Toros with a single game on Saturday. First pitch is set for noon.
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