TURLOCK, Calif. — Stan State scored in four straight innings and leaned on a strong start from Zach Geiss to secure a 5-2 victory over Cal State East Bay on Sunday afternoon at Warrior Baseball Field, earning a split of the weekend CCAA series. AJ Carter led the offensive effort with three hits, including his second home run of the season, while Pierce Sailer closed the door for his second consecutive save as the Warriors improved to 11-10 overall and 2-2 in conference play. The Pioneers fall to 10-9 overall and 2-2 in the CCAA.
Cal State East Bay struck first in the opening inning, taking advantage of a passed ball to score an unearned run for a 1-0 lead. The Pioneers added another run in the third on an RBI single by Alijah Ramos to make it 2-0.
Stan State answered in the bottom half of the third. After Jacob Reyes was hit by a pitch and moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by Jacob Haros, Carter reached on an infield single that led to a Pioneer throwing error, allowing Reyes to score and cut the deficit to 2-1.
The Warriors evened the score in the fourth when Chris Ortiz doubled to center, moved to third on a balk and scored on a wild pitch. Later in the inning, Zach Lewis singled and eventually came home on Eric Perez's sacrifice bunt to give Stan State a 3-2 lead.
Carter provided insurance in the fifth, launching a solo home run to center field to push the advantage to 4-2. Stan State added its final run in the sixth as Perez singled, Reyes followed with a base hit and Haros delivered an RBI single to left center to make it 5-2.
Geiss (1-2) earned the win, allowing two runs—one earned—on seven hits over five innings while striking out six. Eli Blurton tossed two scoreless innings in relief, AJ Victoravich worked 1.1 innings, and Sailer recorded the final two outs to secure his second straight save.
Carter finished 3-for-4 with a homer and RBI to pace Stan State's 12-hit attack. Ortiz and Tyler Crudo each had two hits, while Haros drove in a run as part of a three-hit sixth inning that helped seal the win.
Up Next
Stan State continues CCAA play on the road next weekend with a four-game series at Cal State Los Angeles at Reeder Field in Los Angeles, Calif. The series begins Friday, March 13 at 6:00 p.m., followed by a doubleheader on Saturday, March 14 at 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., and concludes Sunday, March 15 at 12:00 p.m. All games will feature live stats and streaming on FloCollege.
The Warriors then return home to Warrior Baseball Field to host Cal Poly Pomona in a four-game CCAA series beginning Friday, March 20 at 6:00 p.m. The series continues with a Saturday, March 21 doubleheader at 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., and wraps up Sunday, March 22 at 12:00 p.m. Stan State Hall of Famers and longtime broadcast voices Bryan Nelson and Eric Davis of Blue Chip Broadcasting will be on the call for the Pomona series. Games will be streamed on FloCollege and Blue Chip Broadcasting with live stats and ticket information available online.
