Lauren Reeves

Baseball

Yotes hit six homers to set up championship game between the top two seeds

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Cal State San Bernardino defeated Cal Poly Pomona for the second time in as many days to set up a matchup between the 2023 CCAA Baseball Tournament's top two seeds for Saturday's championship game. The Yotes won Friday's nightcap over the Broncos 12-5.
 
From the first pitch, the Yotes came out swinging. They put three runs in the first, highlighted by a two-run homer from Danny Garcia to cap the inning. CSUSB continued to tack on runs in each of the next three innings.
 
Garcia hit his second home run of the game, and he was one of three Yotes to leave the yard in the third inning as CSUSB extended its lead to 6-1. Deshawn Johnson hit home runs in back-to-back innings to add to the lead. He started the third inning scoring with a deep home run that reached the adjacent soccer stadium. He added another in the fourth to push the lead to 7-1.
 
Another two-out rally produced three more runs in the fifth as the Yotes went up 10-1.
 
Cal Poly Pomona chipped away at the lead with two in their half of the fifth and then threatened in the bottom of the eighth as the Broncos loaded the bases with no out. A bases loaded walk brought in the first run of the inning, but coach Mike Nadeau went to his bullpen for Andres Quinones, who escaped the jam by giving up only one run on an RBI groundout.
 
Quinones and starter Luke Hempel gave CSUSB nine combined innings of three-run ball (one earned). Hempel went the first seven innings allowing six hits and three runs (one earned). He walked two and struck out six to improve to 7-3 on the season.
 
Can State San Bernardino will advance to the championship game on Saturday, May 13, at Noon against top-seeded Cal State Monterey Bay. The Yotes will have to defeat the Otters twice on Saturday to claim the 2023 CCAA Baseball Tournament title. This is the first time CSUSB has been in a CCAA Championship in 20 years (2002).