RIVERSIDE -- Totman Stadium on the campus of Cal Baptist Univerisity provided the backdrop for an explosion of offense Saturday afternoon. A total of 31 runs and 38 hits, including five homeruns between the two teams, resulted in a 17-14 win for Cal State San Bernardino over the Warriors.

The win moves the Coyotes into a tie for fourth place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association with Chico State, who was swept in a doubleheader Saturday by Cal State Dominguez HIlls, and moves their record to 15-13 overall and 11-8 in the CCAA. The Warriors fall to sixth place in the CCAA with a 17-9 overall record and 9-8 in the CCAA.

The game certainly did not start out the same way it ended. Cal State San Bernardino jumped all over starter Eric Federico, getting five runs on six hits in the first inning to knock Federico out before he could even finish the inning. Cody Madison hit his second homerun of the season and the series to give the Coyotes an early 2-0 lead. Matt Costa pitched one inning of relief and could not finish the second inning as the Coyotes got four more runs to push their lead to 9-0.

Jesus Beltran drove the first pitch in the bottom of the third over the left field wall and into the neighboring softball field, making the score 10-0. Relief pitcher Phillip Quade would give up another homerun in that same inning, a three-run shot to Julio Torres, and the Coyotes lead 13-0.

Torres would finish with a monster day, going 5-for-5 with a homerun, triple, five RBIs and three runs scored. All but two Coyotes starters got at least one hit and scored at least one run. Freshman designated hitter Darrin Dworak went 2-for-2 with a double, three runs scored, two RBIs and two walks. Shortstop Kyle Davis was 3-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored after just two innings before being retired in his final three at-bats of the game to finish 3-for-6 on the day.

The Warriors would not go down without a fight, however, as they scored 12 unanswered runs from the fourth to sixth innings to climb all the way back in the game at 13-12. For the next three innings the Warriors would play catch up with the Coyotes, trading runs back and forth.

The Coyotes got a run back in the bottom half of the sixth to make it 14-12, and would push across another run in the seventh with a two-out rally to make it 15-12. The Warriors fought back again with a two-run homerun off the bat of Kyle Loretelli, his ninth of the season and 21st of his career at Cal State Stanislaus, leaving him just one long ball shy of tying the CSUS career record of 22, held by Rusty Kuntz of the 1976-77 back-to-back NCAA Division III national championship Warriors teams.

Trailing by three, the Warriors threatened in the seventh inning with two runners in scoring position and one out, only to strike out twice to end the threat. Then again in the eighth inning, the Warriors had two runners in scoring position with two out, down by one, already with two runs on the board from the Loretelli homerun, and a weak foul out to first base ended that threat.

The Warriors had their final chance in the ninth inning, trailing by three again after Cal State San Bernardino picked up two runs in the eighth inning. A one-out walk and a single by Loretelli put runners on first and second with power-hitter Leandro Dottavio coming to the plate. Dottavio would strike out swinging, but pinch-hitter Seth Hudson would extend the inning and bring the go-ahead run to the plate with a bloop single to left field, loading the bases.

Facing Cal State San Bernardino closer Ian O'Conner, pinch hitter Joseph Pilatti worked the count to 2-2 before looking at a breaking ball on the outside corner for strike three, ending the threat and the game.

Jake Oketani and Jacob Thelen both went 3-for-6 for the Warriors. Thelen scored two runs and Oketani scored three. He also had an RBI and a double. Alex Zanini was 2-for-5 with a double, three RBIs and a run scored, and Dottavio picked up two singles, drove in a run and scored twice.

The Warriors will go for the split  in the series at noon Sunday at Arrowhead Credit Union Park in San Bernardino.

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