AZUSA -- Brock Denbo belted his first home run of the year in the 5th while Eric Smelko (pictured) roped a pair of hits, but Cal State Dominguez Hills stranded the tying run on third base in a 5-4 loss to host Azusa Pacific this afternoon in the final non-conference game of the year.

The hosts jumped to a 3-0 lead after one, before Denbo cut CSUDH's deficit to just one with a 2RBI bom to left.

Anthony Accordino, who picked up CCAA and NCBWA West Region Player of the Year honors last week, then tied the game with a sacrifice fly an inning later.

APU, however, regained the lead with a pair of runs in the 7th inning and survived a 9th inning that saw the Toros get the first two batters of the inning on base and move to 2nd and 3rd on a sacrifice bunt.

After Smelko drove home a run and sent Justin Abercrombie to third, APU induced a foul out on the final batter of the game to preserve the win.

The Toros ran through nine of their pitchers, with Manny Hernandez suffering the loss after allowing two earned runs without retiring a batter.

CSUDH begins CCAA play against crosstown rival on Friday at Toro Field, with first pitch set for 2 pm.

About Cal State Dominguez Hills Athletics
The Toros are proud to be a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competing at the Division II level, bringing excitement and tradition to the campus through 10 different sports (4 Men's, 6 Women's).  The program boasts 4 NCAA Championships, 2 NAIA National Titles, 10 NCAA West Region crowns and 34 CCAA Championships.  CSUDH is one of 12 universities that competes in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), the most prominent Division II conference in the nation with 155 NCAA National Championships, far more than any other conference in the nation.