CSUEB baseball continues to struggle

Marissa Marshall,
Staff Writer

The California State East Bay baseball team went 1-3 in their four game series versus the Stanislaus State Warriors (10-7 overall, 6-5 California Collegiate Athletic Association Conference) in conference play over the weekend.

“We’re a solid squad,” Senior pitcher Alex Vesia said. “We have the potential, but it just isn’t translating on the field right now.”

Every game was close, but the Pioneers were unable to get the full advantage over Stanislaus, which puts their record at 6-9 overall and 3-6 in CCAA.

In the first game on Friday, East Bay took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning when senior infielder Colt Parshall grounded out. The Pioneers would remain ahead until the top of the sixth inning when Stanislaus managed to tie it up.

The Pioneers responded with a run in the bottom of the eighth inning, but that would be their last run of the game and Stanislaus was able to close out the game in the top of the ninth inning with two runs, which secured the 4-3 win.

CSUEB senior pitcher Alex Vesia was strong on the mound and senior utility Dallas Dey went 3-for-4 at bat in the losing effort.

It was similar story in the next two games of the series.

East Bay got out to a 3-0 lead in the first and second innings, but their offense remained stagnant for the remaining innings and the Warriors took advantage of it.

Senior pitcher R.J. Hanson had an exceptional performance on the mound throughout seven innings for the Pioneers as he struck out five batters and only allowed one run, which came at the top of the sixth inning.

“We have depth at at each position so every guy on the team can contribute in some way,” Dey said. “It’s just about everyone showing up simultaneously so we can get some wins on our backs.”

The Pioneers remained ahead 3-1, but in the ninth inning the Warriors came out hot and scored three runs, which gave them another 4-3 win. Junior infielder Aaron Albaum had a strong showing as he went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate.

It looked like the Pioneers were on the verge of another loss as Stanislaus opened the third game late Saturday afternoon and scored four runs in the first inning.

Despite trailing, East Bay managed to stay resilient and responded with five runs in the bottom of the second inning. Dey initiated the offense when he singled through the left side. He remained hot for the rest of the game and homered to left field in the bottom of the fifth inning.

His home run gave the Pioneers a 7-4 lead at the top of the sixth inning. The Warriors responded with one last run in the top of the seventh inning, but it wasn’t enough and the Pioneers won the game, 7-5.

In the final game on Sunday, the Pioneers struggled in the final innings and it resulted in a loss.

The two teams were tied at one through the top of the sixth inning when the Pioneers took the lead after junior catcher Matt Cantelme singled through the left side and junior outfielder Kyosuke Ushimaru scored to take the 2-1 lead.

The Warriors responded directly after a homerun in the top of the seventh inning, giving them the 3-2 lead. They then scored again the top of the eighth inning and led 4-2.

East Bay managed to score in two more runs in the eighth inning thanks to a single by junior utility player Steve Robinson.

Unfortunately that would be the last runs East Bay scored and the Warriors were able to close out the game in the ninth inning as they scored 3 runs, giving them the 8-4 win.

“We have to get better at closing out games and not allow late runs and also score in the later innings,” Vesia said. “It’s hard to come back when we let teams score in late innings.”

Dey had a great game doing 2-for-3 at base and reached the base four times with two walks, a stolen base and a run in the loss.

East Bay is now 7-11 overall and 4-8 in CCAA. They will face the number one team in the CCAA, Chico State for a four-game series in Chico this weekend.