SEASIDE -- The Cal State Dominguez Hills were looking to replicate game one's remarkable comeback from yesterday, but No. 18 Cal State Monterey Bay held on for a 10-4 win this afternoon to take the season series, three games to one.
Matt Mecate belted his first home run of the year in the loss.
The Otters, who sit atop the CCAA by 3.5 games, scored the first 10 runs of the game off of four Toro pitchers, while CSUDH batters mustered just two hits over the first 8.0 innings of play.
Like game one of yesterday's twinbill, however, the cardinal and gold bats came alive in the 9th as pinch-hitter
Caleb Ellis stroked a full-count single to left center to start the frame, and trotted home when pinch-hitter Mecate went yard for CSUDH's first two runs of the game.
Eric Smelko and relief pitcher turned hitter
Chris Cornelius both stroked doubles for another run, prompting an Otter pitching change.
After Justin Abercrombine walked,
Emilio Barrera laced a single up the middle to load the bases with none out.
CSUMB then induced a double-play grounder that brought home a fourth run, but the next batter struck out to end the contest.
Seven Toros knocked a hit each in the loss, keeping the Toros in 7th place in the league standings, 2.5 games out of 6th place with eight games left in the regular season.
The Toros host Chico State for the final homestand of the regular season starting Friday, with first pitch scheduled for 3 pm on Toro Field.
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, 11 NCAA West Region crowns and 36 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.