CARSON -- Senior righty Dylan Steen was brilliant in tossing 7.0 innings with eight strikeouts and only two hits allowed against visiting Cal State San Marcos to open the four-game CCAA weekend set as the Toros held on for a 9-5 win on a sunny day on Toro Field.

Eric Smelko (3-for-5, 4R, RBI) and Scott Ogrin (3-for-3, 2R, 3RBI, IPHR) provided the offensive punch as the Toros improved to 11-8 overall and 6-3 in the CCAA.

The Toro got a quick jump on the Cougars as Smelko blasted the second pitch he saw off starter Garrett Apker for a no-doubter over the right field fence.  Not to be outdone, Ogrin touched them all as well as he sped around the bases after CSUSM could not cleanly gather his shot to deep center, scoring Smelko, who reached on a fielder's choice one batter earlier to make it 3-0.

CSUDH added a pair in the 5th, with Ogrin and Pierson Loska baseknocks each driving home a run, before breaking the game open two innings later with four runs.

In the frame, the Toros earned three of the runs without a hit as Loska was plunked with the bases full before consecutive bases loaded walks to Matt Mecate and Emilio Barrera accounted for the final scores for the hosts.

Those insurance runs came in handy as the Cougars scored their first run of the game in the 8th, and followed with four in the 9th to make the game close, but Zachariah McCorvey came on to stop the bleeding and record the final out, earning his second save of the year.

The two teams continue their four game set with the middle games tomorrow, with first pitch set for 11 am on Toro Field.