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Baseball Season Seemingly Ends After 13-7 Loss to Cal State L.A. in CCAA Baseball Championship Tournament

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Palm Springs, CA -- On another day that reached as high as 103 degrees, Cal State L.A.'s bats were hotter than Cal State Dominguez Hills', and the result was a 13-7 CSULA win in which the two teams combined for 30 hits that may have ended the Toros 2009 season at 34-21, with 2nd-team selection Kevin Pillar (pictured) tallying a perfect 4-for-4 outing to seemingly close out the 2009 campaign.

"We've bee playing well all season, but today, we weren't able to play to our expectations," begins CSUDH baseball head coach Murphy Su'a.  "Cal State L.A.'s a good team.  We gave them some extra opportunities, and they took advantage of it, and they were the better team today."

CCAA MVP Jon Alia tallied three hits as did 2nd-team selection Andrew Baslow, including a 3-run blast in the eighth, but the Golden Eagles bettered CSUDH's effort with a slam and 3-run shot of their own, advancing them to tonight's second elimination game against the loser of the UC San Diego / Sonoma State match-up immediately following this contest.

The game started on an ominous note for the Toros after CSUDH starter Matt Hopps left the game with an injury after making one pitch to the first batter of the contest, prompting Philip Van Doren to enter the game.

Van Doren pitched admirably with just a single run in the first on a day that again reached triple digits on the thermometer, but CSULA found its collective stroke in the second with three runs on two hits to take an early 4-1 lead.

"The tough thing about Hopps going down was to get the guys not only physically ready, but also emotionally read to play," Su'a reflected after Van Doren was summoned.

"But we told every pitcher before the game that no one was off limits to pitch today, and they were all ready to go."

The Toros, however, replied with a single run in the third on a Pillar RBI double and two in the fifth after an Alia RBI double and an RBI ground out by Paul-Michael Klingsberg, only to see the Golden Eagles reply themselves after a Toro error allowed Matt Miraldi to bat, promptly doubling in the go-ahead run for a 5-4 lead in their sixth inning at-bat.

CSUDH wasted a prime opportunity in the bottom of the sixth after loading the bases and sending one of its hottest hitters to the plate in Baslow.  But after going 2-for-2 earlier in the day and reaching base a third time after getting hit by a pitch, CSULA reliever Brian Dearth won the battle after freezing Baslow on a 1-2 pitch, catching the outside corner and leaving the bases loaded.

That escape revitalized the CSULA batters one half-inning later as a one-out walk and single brought up Michael Vinyard, who hammered reliever Michael Cruz's offering over the left field wall for a 3-run blast before tacking on another run two batters later on the second CSUDH error of the game for a CSULA 9-4 lead.

The CSULA long balls continued in the eighth inning after a leadoff double, hit batter and single set the stage for designated hitter Mark Sunga, who proceeded to put the game out of reach with a grand slam to left field.

Baslow answered Sunga's slam with a 3-run shot in the bottom of the eighth to bring the Toros to within 13-7, but the CSULA pen retired the side in order to preserve the offensive win.

John Skala was the fourth Toro to enjoy a multi-hit game, with Pillar's three runs scored and Baslow's 2RBI pacing the CSUDH offense.

Van Doren took the loss after an admirable effort, tossing 5.2 innings of work with four earned runs, while counterpart Nathan Pickett's 5.1 innings of work helped lead CSULA to tonight's match-up.

The Toros, making their second appearance in the CCAA Tournament, now hold an overall 2-4 mark after going 2-2 in their first appearance in 2006.

"Losing the game is no fun, and losing the last two of the year is no fun, believe me," concludes Su'a.  "But this team has been spectacular and has done some great things.

"This was an absolutely special group of guys who set the groundwork for the future of the program.  We beat some good teams that we haven't had much success with in the past, and each of the players had a tremendous season.

"It was definitely a good year for the program." 

The Toros, entering the weekend as the No. 5 seeded team in the region, appear to need a miracle after losing to the No. 4 seeded Golden Eagles.  The complete field for the NCAA postseason will be announced Sunday night.
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