CARSON - The Cal State Dominguez Hills softball team lost both ends of a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) doubleheader by scores of 5-3 and 3-1 in eight innings, Friday at Toro Diamond.
 
The Toros drop to 9-14 overall and 7-11 in conference play. The Gators improve to 10-16 overall and 7-10 in the CCAA.
 
The two teams will wrap up the four-game series on Saturday, March 17 with another doubleheader starting at noon.
 
Game One - SFSU 5, CSUDH 3
With the game tied at 2-2, the Gators scored three runs in the top of the seventh to defeat the Toros 5-3.
 
Junior outfielder Damari Simon had a home run with one run, one hit and one RBI. Junior infielder Jazmin Guzman went 2-for-2 and senior infielder Alexis Pintado registered two hits.
 
SFSU scored one run each in the top of the second and third innings to take a 2-0 lead. CSUDH evened the score in the bottom of the fourth with two runs of their own. Sophomore infielder Kendelle Messersmith and freshman infielder Chloe Wenger drew walks to put runners on first and second, and Pintado singled to load the bases. Freshman outfielder Kelcy Telles drew a walk to score Messersmith and Guzman singled to left field to plate Wenger.
 
Mallory Cleveland hit a three-run homer in the top of the seventh to put SFSU up by three. Simon responded with a home run of her own in the bottom of the inning, but the Toros ultimately fell by two.
 
Senior pitcher Alyssa Valinches (4-6) gave up three earned runs and struck out four in the loss.
 
Game Two - SFSU 3, CSUDH 1 (8 innings)
With a 1-0 lead, CSUDH gave up one run in the top of the seventh and two in the top of the eighth and fell to the Gators 3-1.
 
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Messersmith hit a triple and came home on Wenger's double for the only Toro run of the game.
 
With two outs in the top of the seventh, SFSU got the game-tying run in and got two in the top of the eighth to prevail.
 
Freshman pitcher Alyssa Olague (4-7) gave up three earned runs in eight innings in the loss.