HAYWARD, Calif. — Crooked innings played large parts in both games of a doubleheader between the San Francisco State and Cal State East Bay baseball teams on Saturday at Pioneer Baseball Field. The Gators took game one 8-3 and dropped the nightcap 7-1 in seven innings.
SF State, which is ranked No. 5 in the latest NCBWA West Region poll, moves to 19-9-1 and 17-9 in CCAA play, which is third behind No. 2 UC San Diego and Cal State Monterey Bay. CSUEB moves to 15-21 overall and 12-18 in CCAA play.
- Collin Gabel, who was injured on March 16 and had gone hitless in his first three games back, went 4-for-8 with a run scored. He's hitting a team-leading .436.
- Jack Harris went 2-for-6 with two walks, a run, and an RBI. He now has a team-leading 32 hits.
- Harley Lopez 2-for-6 with a walk, a run, and an RBI
- Harris and Jackson Kritsch both saw their five-game hit streaks come to an end in game two.
- The Gators hit a home run in each game bringing the team's total to 23, third most in the CCAA. The Gators are also third in slugging percentage (.416).
- SF State pitching has now given up 10 or more hits in nine of its last 10 games. Opponents are hitting .312 against the Gators, which is the highest in the league.
- In game two, the Gators finally snapped a 19-game streak in which they made at least one or more error.
GAME ONE
- Lopez's infield single put the Gators 1-0 up in the first.
- Robert Lujan' RBI single in the third tie the game up.
- The Gators took the lead for good in the fourth when Chris Smutny sent the first pitch of the at-bat for his first home run of the season.
- In the fifth, SF State capitalized on CSUEB miscues and broke the game wide open. Harley Lopez scored on a passed ball, Trevor Rogers doubled home Gabel, Rogers scored on a wild pitch, Shaq Robinson scored on an error, and Brady Dorn brought home Jason Hare with a sacrifice fly.
- The Pioneers got a pair back in the bottom of the fifth on a leadoff homer by number nine batter Joey Dice and a two-out RBI single from Kyosuke Ushimaru.
- The Gators added another run in the ninth on a Harris double.
- Jordyn Eglite (4-2) worked six innings and allowed three runs on eight hits. He struck out four and walked two.
- Nate Jenkins allowed two hits in three scoreless innings of work.
- Pioneers starter Ethan Brodsky (0-3) went four innings and surrendered a pair of runs. TJ Myers was charged three runs and did not record an out in the fifth. He was one of three CSUEB relievers who combined for five runs in five innings. The Pioneers also used Michael Espino and Kyle Basch, who didn't allow a run in a combined three and two thirds innings.
GAME TWO
- Matt Cantelme gave the Pioneers the lead with a three-run homer in the third.
- The Pioneers broke the game open in the fifth as their 4-5-6-7 batters hit consecutive RBI base hits to extend the lead to 7-0.
- The Gators were held fairly quiet in game two with their only run coming in the sixth inning on a solo shot by Trevor Greenley.
- Riley Cleary (1-2) allowed seven runs on nine hits in just four and two thirds innings.
- Luis Salinas allowed an inherited runner to score and was the beneficiary of left fielder Jonah Gonzales' throw to cut down Omar Sanchez at home to end the disastrous fifth inning.
- Luke Genova struck out a pair in scoreless inning of relief.
- Brian Martinez (5-2) went the distance for the Pioneers. He scattered five hits and struck out four.
The Gators go for the series win on Sunday, April 14 with first pitch scheduled for noon at Pioneer Baseball Field. Be sure to follow San Francisco State baseball on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook at @sfstatebaseball.
