Bulldogs surge to fifth straight win, beat De Anza 12-4

CUPERTINO — The College of San Mateo baseball team scored four runs in the second inning and never looked back Thursday, beating De Anza College 12-4 behind a strong start from Michael Volkman and a four-RBI day from Elijah Ward.

CSM trailed briefly after De Anza scored in the first on an unearned run, with Logan Vieira delivering an RBI single to plate Brandon Kim. But the Bulldogs responded immediately in the second. Dom Poole's RBI single tied the game, and Ward followed with a bases-clearing double that drove in three more, putting San Mateo ahead 4-1.

The Bulldogs extended the lead with single runs in the third — on a De Anza wild pitch that scored Rocco Giometti — and two more in the fourth on a Jacob Prettol RBI triple and a Giometti RBI single. Ward struck again in the fifth with a two-run double, and the Bulldogs added another run that same inning on a wild pitch before Carter Bleeker's RBI double capped a three-run frame and pushed the lead to 10-2.

San Mateo tacked on two more in the seventh — a Bleeker sacrifice fly and an unearned run on a De Anza error — before De Anza scored twice in the bottom of the inning to set the final at 12-4.

Volkman earned the win, improving to 7-3. He worked five innings, allowing two earned runs on eight hits with five strikeouts. Elliot Webb and Corbin Giesen finished off the Mountain Lions over the final four innings, with Giesen closing it out with a pair of scoreless frames.

Ward went 2-for-4 with two doubles and four RBIs to lead the offense. Bleeker contributed a double, a sacrifice fly and two RBIs. Dom Poole was 3-for-3 with three runs scored and an RBI. Giometti went 2-for-2 with an RBI before departing in the sixth.

CSM improved to 24-12 overall and 12-5 in the Coast Conference North Division with just three games remaining in the regular season. The Bulldogs are at Skyline College on Friday (Apr. 17).