Box Score

LOS ANGELES - Fresno Pacific used a three-run eighth inning to knock off NCAA Division II #24-ranked Cal State L.A. on its home field on Friday night. Brett Bishop went 3-for-4 and delivered the game's biggest hit, a two-out, two-run double in the top of the eighth that erased a 5-4 deficit.

Ryan Castadio earned the win for the Sunbirds (13-9), tossing four dominant scoreless innings in relief of starter J.D. Salles. Reliever James Wharton took the loss for the Golden Eagles (16-12), who are ranked #3 in the NCAA Division II West Region.

The Sunbirds jumped out to an early lead, thanks in large part to the bat of Kyle Coppom who connected on a two-run homer in the first inning before coming through with a sacrifice fly in the third to make it 3-0 FPU. The Golden Eagles picked up two runs in the bottom of the third however, then capitalized on some Sunbird miscues in the fifth, getting three runs across to go up 5-3.

The score would remain 5-3 until the top of the eighth inning. Things didn't look good for the Sunbirds as the team put two runners on base only to see them thrown out and picked off. But Joseph Garabedian, making his first start in weeks, started a two-out rally with an infield single to short.

Baron Bower reached on catcher's interference, and coach Oscar Hirschkorn opted to pinch-hit Robert Chambas with the tying run now on base. Chambas drove a 1-0 pitch to right field for a hit, scoring Garabedian to make it 5-4. After Steven Lozier was hit by a pitch, bringing FPU's most dangerous hitter to the plate.

Bishop watched two pitches go by, then crushed a double to right-center to plate two runs. The Golden Eagles would get out of the inning without any further damage, but the one-run lead would be enough for Castadio who induced an inning-ending double play in the eighth and tossed a brilliant ninth to get the win.

Kaohu Gaspar and Steven Moon each finished with two hits in the FPU victory. Gaspar also stole two bases on the night.

The two teams complete the three-game series with a doubleheader in Los Angeles tomorrow beginning at noon.