STOCKTON – California Baptist University scored five runs in the final three innings, but its comeback bid fell short on Opening Day at the University of the Pacific.
Two hits each from
Harrison Spohn,
Ulises Caballero and
Jeff Bruyntjens led the Lancers' offense, which collected six of their nine hits over the final three innings.
Nick Plaia also drove in a team-high three runs, with the help of a two-run double in the eighth.
The Tigers managed to take advantage of 12 free passes (nine walks, three hits by pitches) to pull out a 9-5 win at Klein Family Field on Friday. CBU (0-1) and Pacific (1-0) continue their four-game series with 1 p.m. games on Saturday and Sunday, and then wrap it up with a noon contest Monday.
CBU found itself in a 7-0 hole through six innings, but started to turn things around and outscored Pacific 5-2 over the final three frames. Spohn and
John Glenn put two on with no outs to start the seventh on a leadoff single and hit by pitch, respectively.
Back-to-back grounders from Caballero and Plaia scored Spohn for the Lancers' first run of the game. Bruyntjens then drove a ground-rule double to the warning track to plate Glenn.
Junior transfer
Russell Stevenson made his CBU debut as a pinch hitter, with two outs, and blooped a single into shallow left to cut the deficit down to 7-3 before the inning was over.
The Tigers answered and got two of those runs back in the bottom of the seventh. The Lancers scored two more times in the eighth. Spohn and Caballero started the threaten with one and two-out singles. Plaia scored them both, as he skied a double to right center to cap the scoring at 9-5.
