Carson, CA — Visiting Sonoma State used an 11-run 3rd inning to break the game open early in taking an eventual 16-5 win over Cal State Dominguez Hills in the first of a four-game CCAA set Friday afternoon at Toro Field. With the loss, CSUDH falls to 7-11-1, 3-6 CCAA while the Seawolves improve to 13-4, 8-1.

After getting on the board with a run in the 1st frame, the Seawolves showed why they're amongst the conference leaders two innings later, sending 15 batters to the plate in tallying 11 runs on 8 hits in the frame. Clean-up hitter Tyler Wightman provided the big blow with the second home run of the inning, a grand slam to center off reliever Matt Sannes (Long Beach, CA/El Camino College), who came in for starter Jeff Phillips (Redondo Beach, CA/LA Harbor College) after just 2.2 innings of work.

The Toros answered with two runs in their 3rd-inning at-bat on a Martin Conde (Los Angeles, CA/Fremont HS) RBI double and a Chris Hunter (Vallejo, CA/Vallejo HS) RBI single, only to have SSU respond with three runs in the 6th to take a 15-2 edge, all but putting the game out of reach. After SSU tacked on a single run in the 7th, the Toros chipped away with three runs in their 7th inning at-bat, the big blow coming on a Houston Hernandez (La Mirada, CA/St. Paul HS) 2RBI single to center, but it was too little too late as SSU came away with the 16-5 blowout.

Wightman finished his day with 5 RBI in a 3-for-6 effort, while Chase McGuire contributed two hits and 3 RBI in the SSU win. Hunter paced CSUDH with two hits and two RBI, but Phillips (2-2) allowed 7 earned runs on five hits to give the Seawolves all the runs they would need on the day. SSU starter Bryan Oland hurled 6.2 innings of work, allowing five runs in improving to 4-0 on the year.

The two teams hook up for a doubleheader tomorrow afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 11:00 am on Toro Field.