NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – In a battle between the top two offenses in The Big West, the Cal State Bakersfield Baseball team raced away from CSUN Friday night on the way to an 11-3 victory. The Roadrunners utilized a balanced offense and a pair of outstanding pitching performances to kick off the league series with a dominant win.

CSUB jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the second inning before eventually extending its advantage to 10-1 in the sixth. The `Runners pitching staff put together a strong performance that fizzled the hot-hitting Matadors.

On the mound, Friday night starter Ryan King got the `Runners off on the right foot, going five complete innings while scattering five hits and allowing just one run. Out of the bullpen, redshirt senior Alex Navarrete threw a career game, earning a 4.0 inning save, striking out the CSUN side in the 8th, a tallying four strikeouts in the dominant outing.

Offensively, Bakersfield enjoyed a trio of veterans and a `Runner rookie leading the way:
Elgin Bennett: 2-4, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R
Kanoa Morisaki: 3-4, 2 RBI, 1 R
Nick Mascaro: 2-2, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 2 R
Devon Wilkes: 4-4, 1 HBP, 3 BB

The Roadrunners will look to clinch their second-straight Big West series on Saturday on Northridge. CSUB and CSUN will kick off Game 2 of the series at 2 p.m. (PT) live on ESPN+

~ GoRunners.com ~