SEASIDE – Facing an 8-0 deficit after three innings, the Cal State Dominguez Hills baseball team made a valiant comeback attempt against No. 19 Cal State Monterey Bay Monday. Although they got five runs in the ninth to get within three, the Toros came up short in a 12-9 defeat to the Otters.
 
The Toros entered the ninth trailing 12-4. After Daryl Donerson was reached on a catcher's interference to start things off, the Toros racked up six consecutive singles to score in five. The bleeding was stopped by Conner Fabing, who came in from the bullpen and retired three straight for his third save of the season.
 
Jeremy Ciolek gathered four of the Toros' 16 hits and along with Kevin Lugo and Stephen Kish had two RBIs. Lugo had three hits with two of them stretched for doubles.
 
Even though the Toros put nine on the board, they left 10 runners on base throughout the game, including two in multiple innings.
 
Monterey Bay got two more runs in the fifth and eighth innings that proved to be the difference in the game. The Toros got their first run in the fourth inning. Esteban Ortega doubled down the left field line to start the inning and scored on Lugo's two-bagger to left center.
 
The Toros got two more in the sixth inning with back-to-back doubles from Lugo and Kish followed by a Ciolek's RBI single through the left side.
 
Starter Joe Mercado pitched a shutout first inning but was tagged for five runs in the second to end his day. Joshua Gogue had two strikeouts in his two-shutout innings of relief.
 
On the other side, Levi Noddin lasted four innings before going to the bullpen.
 
The Toros return home for a four-game series with Cal State East Bay beginning Friday at 3 p.m.