BELLEVUE, Wash. – Sunday's series finale between California Baptist University and Seattle U was a game of runs. The Lancers scored the final five runs in the eighth and ninth innings to secure a comeback, 12-10 win over the Rdehawks.
CBU overcame a 10-7 deficit after six innings to wrap up its second Western Athletic Conference series victory of the season. The Lancers improve to 20-11, 5-4 in the conference, while Seattle U drops to 7-23, 3-6.
The Lancers logged a season-high 15 hits on Sunday, with seven of them coming with two outs. Five players had multi-hit games for CBU:
Andrew Bash,
John Glenn,
Ryan Mota,
Rory Smith and
Nick Plaia. Bash (three runs) and Smith (two runs batted in, two runs) both went 3-for-5, while Glenn, Mota (three RBI, two runs) and Plaia (two RBI) each had two hits apiece.
For the first time this season, Bash came out of the bullpen and recorded his first save on Sunday. He gave up just one hit over the final two innings to bring his earned-run average to a tidy 1.98 this year.
CBU ends its road trip with a one-off game at the University of Washington on Monday at 6 p.m. The Huskies have been ranked in the NCAA Division I top 30 this season, and were one of the best teams in the country last year. Washington was one of the final eight teams left standing before being eliminated by eventual national champion Oregon State in the 2018 College World Series.
There were four lead changes on Sunday. Seattle U used a seven-run sixth inning to get back in the game and even take a 10-7 lead. The Lancers responded with a four-run eighth inning to jump back in front.
Bash gave CBU a shot of momentum with a lead-off, full-count home run in the inning.
A dropped third strike allowed Mota to take first base with one out. Smith then singled his way aboard before the Redhawks recorded the second out.
Billy Rockefeller and Plaia then came through in the clutch with a pair of two-out hits. Rockefeller tied the game at 10-10 with a two-run double to left center, and Plaia gave CBU the 11-10 lead with an RBI single up the middle.
The Lancers pushed across an insurance run in the top of the ninth, with the help of an error and a walk from Seattle U. Smith delivered a two-out RBI single to bring the score to 12-10.
Mota drove in CBU's first three runs on Sunday, with an RBI single in the first inning and two-run double in the third.
Damon Keith gave the Lancers a 4-3 lead in the third with a sacrifice fly.
A leadoff walk from Smith led to two more CBU runs in the fifth. Plaia drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly and Navigato then came through with a two-out RBI single. Bash started the sixth inning with a double and scored on a two-out RBI single from Smith, as the Lancers went ahead 7-3.
