Rebounding To Regional Final

Saturday, May 21

Riverside, Calif.

7:20 PM

California Baptist University

42-12

Dixie State University

40-14

Dixie State

California Baptist

Photo by: Sammi Wellman

Rebounding To Regional Final

5/21/2016 11:19:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Andrew Shortall, Asst. Sports Information Director

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Just a few hours earlier, California Baptist University suffered its toughest loss of the season. There was no time to dwell on it, however, as the Lancers had another game to play Saturday night with a chance to advance to their first NCAA Division II West Regional championship round.

Faced with a familiar foe in PacWest-rival Dixie State, CBU grinded its way to an 8-6 victory over the Trailblazers. Two more home runs, along with a strong start and save from the top-seeded Lancers pitching staff, improved CBU to 42-12 this season and ended the 10^th-ranked and second-seeded Trailblazers' season at 40-14.

After a 6-5, 10-inning loss to third-seeded Cal Poly Pomona earlier Saturday, CBU has earned a rematch with the 26^th-ranked Broncos in the West Region championship round on Monday at 2 p.m. The top-seeded, eighth-ranked Lancers will need to win consecutive games against Cal Poly Pomona to eliminate the Broncos from the double-elimination tournament and advance to the Division II Championships.

"We've had a lot of losses in my time here, it's been 13 years, but that one this morning was tough. The resiliency of these guys, for them to rebound and do some special things is a proud moment for me and my assistant coaches," Coach Gary Adcock said. "We just tried to get to Monday and if we can get there anything can happen, that was our rallying cry."

Stephen Carajabal continued his dominance in the postseason, with a 10-out save in Saturday's nightcap. The senior left hander was perfect through 3.1 innings to notch his second save in three games.

"I didn't have too good of a season, I couldn't really get in a groove, but I guess I am coming around at the right time," Carajabal said. "Coach preaches pounding the zone low and it's been working out. It's my senior season and kind of the end of the road for me, so I am giving it all I got."

It secured the win for Justin Montgomery on the front end. The true freshman struck out five in five innings and allowed six base runners (four hits, two walks) to earn his second victory this year.

"It was a total team effort," Adcock said. "Justin Montgomery's line score doesn't do him justice for how well he pitched. To get five innings out of a true freshman is good in this situation. There were so many good things happening with this group."

CBU hit two home runs in the game, giving it 13 in four regional games this week. Bryce Macy hit his fourth home run in as many games and Antonio Chavarria hit one of his own, with the duo each going 2-for-5 with two runs batted in for the win. Andrew Montoya batted .500 (2-for-4) with an RBI and run scored.

Chavarria hit a two-run bomb to give the Lancers a quick lead in the first inning. Montoya made it 3-0 CBU with an RBI double to left center. "It was really important to score first coming off the loss," Macy said, "we wanted to come out and get right on them."

Dixie State responded and tied the game at 3-3 with a two-run homer in the third, as well. Macy put the Lancers back in front, 5-3, with a two-run shot in the fourth.

"No, I don't [just hit home runs], I have just been seeing the ball well," Macy said. "I have been trying to stay on a line and just letting the ball do what it does. I have been tracking it and if it comes in, I just get the best swing I can on it."

The Trailblazers scored on a sacrifice fly in the fifth to make it a one-run game before CBU took the largest lead of the game, three runs coming in the fifth on two hits and an error. DJ Porter, Ryan Williams and Montoya each plated runs in the inning after the bases were loaded with no outs.

Dixie State would not go away and pulled within two, 8-6, with two runs on one hit in the sixth. It could have been worse, though, as Carajabal ended the rally with runners at the corners on a strikeout. He got the next nine batters out in a row to end the game.

"We had some long faces after that first game [against Cal Poly Pomona], it was very emotional," Carajabal said. "The gap between the first and second game, we were angry, we were mad, we were sad; but I think we came together well. We haven't lost many back-to-back games all year, so it was going to be tough for Dixie. We played well, executed pretty well and just went out there and played."