March 5, 2006

Box Score

Game1    Game2

Carson, CA – Riding hot hitting and hot pitching that saw them take the nightcap of yesterday's doubleheader, the Toros ended the four-game series by sweeping both games of Sunday's double header against Cal State Stanislaus, 9-3 & 5-3.

The Toros took three out of four from a Warriors club that entered Toro Field undefeated in CCAA Conference play. Jason Klug (Moreno Valley, San Bernardino Valley College) would lead the offense with five hits and five RBIs on the day, including his fifth home run of season. With the win the Toros have won three in a row and improve to 9-11, 3-5 CCAA, while Cal State Stanislaus falls to 14-5, 5-3 CCAA.

Toro starter Chris Borchers (Torrance, CA/LA Harbor College) would be shaky out of the gate in the opener as he hit the first Warrior batter he faced and gave up an ensuing single, allowing Tony Max to drop down a squeeze bunt which would bring home the runner from 3rd to give CSUS an early 1-0 lead.

The Toros, however, responded in their half of the 1st inning, all with two outs. After Warrior starter Josh Berrington gave up a two-out walk to Klye Stanley (Buena Park, CA/Hawaii Pacific), Klug would double to left center, bringing home Stanley and tying the game at 1-1. Mateo Marquez (Biggs, CA/Cal State L.A.) would follow with a single, and then would be advanced to third on a double by Chris Hunter (Vallejo, CAVallejo HS). Jose Escobar (Palm Springs, CA/Palm Springs HS) would follow with a hard hit ground ball in the hole at short that he would beat out, bringing home Marquez. The throw from the shortstop would sail wide, allowing Hunter to score and Escobar to advance to second, extending the Toro lead to 4-1.

After the Warriors added a solo run in the top of the 2nd, a Stanley walk led off the Toros' 3rd, and Klug would put the game out of reach as he blasted a homerun halfway up the wind screen in dead center field to extend the Toro lead to 6-2.

From that point on Borchers would settle and set down the next 16 batters in order, not allowing a base runner until giving up a walk in the 7th.

The Toro offense would continue to feast on Warrior pitching, adding two more runs in the 4th and one in the 6th to increase their lead to 9-2, while the Warriors would tack on their third and final run of the game in the 8th on a solo shot to center field by Justin Louis.

Warrior starter Berrington would last just 2.0 innings, giving up six runs on five hits and walking two batters. Borchers, meanwhile, would toss 8.0 innings, giving up three runs on five hits while recording five strikeouts in the win.

Marquez and Klug would each record three hits in the game, with Klug driving in four runs.

In the nightcap the Toro would again put runs on the scoreboard quickly by scoring three runs in the 2nd inning, two courtesy of a one-out single to center by Fred Medina (Santa Ana, CA/Century HS).

CSUDH starter Matt Hopps (Torrance, CA/South HS) would be razor sharp in the first two innings, striking out the side in the first, before getting the next three batters to hit three fly balls to center field in the 2nd.

The Warriors, however, would respond in their next two at-bats, the big blow coming in the 4th as LeBouef would take a 1-0 offering from Hopps and send it over the center field wall with one runner on base to tie the game at 3-3.

The CSUDH offense came to their pitchers aid in their half of the 4th, scoring two runs on back-to-back-to-back singles, retaking the lead at 5-3 after a Warrior error kept the inning alive.

The Warriors would stay quiet over the next two innings, before making their last-inning charge. Hopps would get the first out in the 7th, before giving up back-to-back singles and a walk to load the bases. The Toros would bring in Dustin Gober (Long Beach, CA/Compton College) from the pen, and Gober would come through, fanning the first batter he faced and inducing a grounder with two out to preserve the win and record his second save of the season.

Warrior starter Fred Caron would give up five runs, including two earned, on seven hits in 5.0 innings of work in taking the loss, while Pat McLaughlin would lead the CSUS offense with a 3-for-3 effort. LeBouef would tally two RBIs for CSUS, driving in two Warrior runs.

Hopps would strikeout eight batters, giving up three runs on five hits in 6.1 innings of work in the win, while Klug and Cody Puckett (Apple Valley, CA/Hesperia HS) would lead the offense with two hits and one RBI apiece, followed by Medina, who chipped in two RBIs.

The Toros will next be in action Wednesday, March 8 when they take on Keio Univeristy (Japan) in an exhibition game before returning to conference action on Friday, March 10 when they travel to Turlock, CA to take on Chico State. CSUDH will return home on Friday, March 24, when they play host to the Gators of San Francisco State, with first pitch schedule for 2:00 p.m.