Plaia Heats Up in Non-Conference Finale

Tuesday, May 14

San Diego, Calif.

6:00 PM

California Baptist University

33-19

San Diego

32-21

California Baptist

San Diego

Photo by: Chris Mora

Plaia Heats Up in Non-Conference Finale

5/14/2019 9:23:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Andrew Shortall, Director of Athletics Communications

SAN DIEGO – Nick Plaia logged a career-high four hits and Billy Rockefeller came through in the clutch again in California Baptist University's final non-conference game of the season at the University of San Diego.

The Lancers fought back from a three-run deficit going into the seventh inning, but came up just short in a 5-4 loss to the Toreros at Fowler Park on Tuesday night. San Diego benefited from three unearned runs in the victory, as it ends its season with a 32-21 record.

CBU heads into its final series of the season at 33-19. The Lancers play their final three games of the year at New Mexico State. The regular season Western Athletic Conference championship is in the balance.

Rory Smith, Plaia and Harrison Spohn combined to go 6-for-10 with five walks and all four runs scored as CBU's No. 6, 7 and 8 batters on Tuesday. Plaia was a perfect 4-for-5 with a run scored and a stolen base; Spohn was 2-for-2 with two runs scored, a run batted in and two walks and Smith walked three times and scored once in two at-bats.

For the fourth time this season, a Lancer has a four-hit game.

Nick Plaia does it for the first time in his career, with this line single into center field. He improves to 4⃣➖for➖4⃣ and has CBU threatening with two on and one out in the top of the 7th.#LanceUp pic.twitter.com/xWvJsNiKX4
— CBU Baseball (@CBUbaseball) May 15, 2019

NM State and the Lancers open their series Thursday at 5:05 p.m. PDT and play at 1:05 p.m. on Friday and 11:05 a.m. on Saturday. NM State (36-13, 18-6 in the WAC) holds a one-game lead in the conference standings, with Grand Canyon (31-20, 17-7) tied with CBU for second (17-7).

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (31-19, 16-8) and Sacramento State (31-20, 16-8) are tied for fourth place and clinging to hopes of a shared conference title, as there is no tiebreaker in determining the regular-season champion. GCU ends its season at Sacramento State, while UTRGV hosts Utah Valley this weekend.

The Lancers played from behind all night, despite loading the bases three times, in the first, second and ninth innings. The Toreros took a 2-0 lead in the first, but the Lancers cut it down to 2-1 in the second. After Back-to-back leadoff singles from Plaia and Spohn, the Lancers scored on an Andrew Bash grounder in the top of the inning.

After the top of the second, CBU trails San Diego 2-1. Andrew Bash brings in the Lancers' run after Nick Plaia and Harrison Spohn started the inning with singles.#LanceUp pic.twitter.com/zYsNnoFchi
— CBU Baseball (@CBUbaseball) May 15, 2019

Plaia and Spohn logged consecutive singles again in the third inning to score CBU's second run and make it 3-2. Smith started the threat with a one-out walk, took third on Plaia's full-count single and then scored on Spohn's single into left.

CBU scores for the second inning in a row to keep it one-run game, 3-2, going into the bottom of the third at San Diego.

Harrison Spohn drove in the Lancers' second run after a walk to Rory Smith and another Nick Plaia single. Spohn and Plaia are both 2-for-2.#LanceUp pic.twitter.com/nXxgoYBxN9
— CBU Baseball (@CBUbaseball) May 15, 2019

The Toreros added a run in the fifth and sixth to take a 5-2 lead going into the seventh. Smith started the top of the seventh with another leadoff walk, took second on a wild pitch and then third on Plaia's fourth single of the game. A two-out, pinch-hit double from Rockefeller scored two runs and made it a one-run game, 5-4.

📢📢

Billy "Mr. Clutch" Rockefeller comes through with a big pinch-hit, two-run double to cut CBU's deficit back down to just one, 5-4, in the top of the seventh.#LanceUp pic.twitter.com/ATE1nE7NH2
— CBU Baseball (@CBUbaseball) May 15, 2019

There were multiple strong plays from Plaia at third base that helped keep CBU in the game. The most significant was a 5-4 double play he turned in the bottom of the eighth to silence a two-on-no-out threat from the Toreros and keep it a one-run game.

👍

No oops, all nice on this play from Nick Plaia at third base in the bottom of the fourth. #LanceUp pic.twitter.com/eQI8LUsKPv
— CBU Baseball (@CBUbaseball) May 15, 2019

CBU loaded the bases in the top of the ninth, with Ryan Mota and Rory Smith putting the first two runners aboard on a single and a walk, respectively. Rockefeller loaded the bases with two outs on a full-count walk but San Diego just escaped with the one-run win.

Six Lancers pitched in the game. Matt Mogollon was solid again in relief, giving up two hits, a walk and striking out four over two shutouts innings.