Pomona-Pitzer rallied for five runs
in the top of the ninth Tuesday night to beat Cal
State San Bernardino, 6-5, in a non-conference
baseball game at Arrowhead Credit Union Park.

The Sagehens, 1-1, trailed 5-1 entering the final
inning but put together their winning rally with four
hits and two costly Coyotes errors. CSUSB is now 6-2
overall and 3-2 at home.

The game resembled one of those marathon Major League
spring training games as the two teams used 41
position players and 13 pitchers in the 3-hour,
8-minute contest.

The Coyotes went the pitcher by committee route and
it worked well as CSUSB built a 5-1 lead heading into
the ninth as seven pitchers had combined to allow just
one run and four hits through the first eight frames.

However, disaster struck in the ninth as CSUSB junior
right-hander Michael Leal was rocked, giving up a
leadoff double to Teddy Bingham followed by a one-out
RBI single by Mike Silva. Pinch-hitter Mike Goldberg
then singled Silva to second. Both Silva and pinch
runner Zach Haberman advanced on a ground out. Brandon
Huerta followed with a single to right center to score
both runners to make it 5-4.

After Huerta stole second, James Kang hit the ball
sharply to Coyotes shortstop Jesus Beltran who
overthrew Jason Klug at first base for an error,
allowing Huerta to score the tying run and Kang to
take second.

The Coyotes went to the bullpen for closer Ward
Minich. However, Zachary Mandelblatt hit a ball into
the hole between first and second and Minich dropped
the throw as he crossed the bag for what would have
been the third out and Kang scored the unearned,
go-ahead run on the error. Minich ended the horror
show by striking out Drew Redman.

David Colvin, the Sagehens fourth reliever, pitched
two hitless innings to get the win for the 2007 SCIAC
champions. Leal (0-1) took the loss.

Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the third, the Coyotes
evened the score on a walk to Beltran and a triple by
Johnnie Haas (2 for 3 with two runs scored and an
RBI).

 In the sixth, Haas sparked a two-run inning with
a leadoff single, then stole second and advanced to
third on Kyle Waltons single. He scored on an infield
grounder by Drew Valenzuela. Walton later scored on a
single by Billy Haynes to make it 3-1.

CSUSB added two more runs in the seventh a two-run
double by Klug, raising his RBI count to 16 just eight
games into the season.

Of the nine Coyotes pitchers, five didnt allow a
hit. Starter Bryan W. Hart retired all six batters in
the first two innings.

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