CARSON -- With runners on 1st and 2nd base and facing a 4-2 deficit in the bottom of the 9th inning, Cal State Dominguez Hills' Pierson Loska stroked an RBI single to center field to seemingly give the hosts the momentum needed to rally, but San Francisco State centerfielder Sammy Gonzales cut down baserunner Scott Ogrin as he tried to move from 1st to 3rd, stopping the Toro rally in its tracks.

That assist proved pivotal as the Gators escaped with a 4-3 win to open the four-game set on Toro Field, dropping the Toros to 5-6 overall and 0-1 in league play in the CCAA opener for both squads.

The visitors took a quick 2-0 lead on starter Dylan Steen, before the Toros tied the game with single runs in the 3rd and 5th innings.

In the 3rd, Loska delivered an RBI single to score Bailey Bordas, before Eric Smelko crushed the first pitch he saw two innings later over the right field wall to tie the game.

That's where the score remained until the 7th when SFSU benefited from a passed ball to advance both its runners up a base, where Gonzales capitalized with a 2RBI single up the middle.

Smelko, Loska and Caleb Ellis each banged two hits in the loss, with Loska's two RBI pacing the run-producers.

Steen took the loss after 7.0 innings of work, fanning five against no walks. SFSU's Jordyn Eglite, meanwhile, picked up the win after 6.0 innings, while Jack Reitsma earned the save, his first of the year.

The two teams play two tomorrow morning, with first pitch of game one set for 11 am on Toro Field.