SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - For the first time in 24 years, the California State University San Bernardino baseball team has won the CCAA Tournament Championship.
The Coyotes came from 6-2 down in Saturday's CCAA Tournament Final to defeat their rivals from Cal Poly Pomona 9-6 to claim their first CCAA Tournament Championship since 2002.
With the win, the Coyotes earn the CCAA's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. They will find out their opponent on at 7 p.m. Sunday with the selection show on NCAA.com.
CSUSB got the offense going in the top of the first inning, plating a pair of runs on four hits. Junior Juni Rodriguez (Hemet, Calif.) and sophomore Keedan Nadeau (Highland, Calif.) each collected RBI singles in the frame.
Cal Poly Pomona came out in a big way in the bottom of the first, scoring all six of their runs to take a commanding 6-2 lead.
CSUSB chipped away at the lead with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning to cut the deficit to 6-4. Senior Dom Dominguez (Victorville, Calif.) started the inning with an RBI single, before freshman Tyson Pettingill (Overton, Nev.) notched an RBI fielder's choice.
An inning later, CSUSB leveled the score after a run scored on a Cal Poly Pomona fielding error and an Eddie Alfaro (Moreno Valley, Calif) RBI single.
With the score still tied, the Yotes left the bases loaded in both the seventh and eighth innings, but finally broke through in the top of the ninth. Senior Benji Solano (Chula Vista, Calif.) put CSUSB on top for good with an RBI double, before Alfaro delivered the dagger, a two-run double to center field.
Senior Devyn Hernandez (Pasco, Wash.), who came in with one out in the eight and induced an inning-ending double play, earned the win, after getting the Broncos to go down 1-2-3Â in the bottom of the ninth. On Wednesday, he threw 135 pitches in an 8.2-inning start, but needed only 13 to close out the Broncos over 1.2 innings on Saturday.
Junior Michael Moreno (San Diego, Calif.) delivered 4.2 huge innings in relief, allowing just one earned run on two hits after coming on in relief in the first inning. He was followed by Jesse Alfaro (Moreno Valley, Calif.) who threw 2.1 shutout innings, allowing just one hit.
Dominguez, Nadeau, and Solano all delivered three hits in the victory.
After the final out was recorded, Hernandez was named the CCAA Tournament Most Valuable Player, joining Eddie Alfaro, Dominguez, Nadeau, and Kailer Saunders (Boise, Idaho) on the All-Tournament Team.
#GoYotes
