CARSON, Calif. – Cal State Dominguez Hills baseball team splits its Sunday doubleheader against Cal Poly Pomona, falling 16-12 in a high-scoring game one before bouncing back with a 6-2 victory in game two at Toro Field. With the split, the Toros move to 14-10 overall and 10-5 in CCAA play heading into the series finale.
Game 1:
Despite a strong offensive performance, Dominguez Hills was unable to overcome a pair of big innings from Cal Poly Pomona in game one. The Broncos struck early with four runs in the second, but the Toros answered back in the bottom half with four of their own, highlighted by a two-run triple from Kaleb Castro and an RBI double from Jacob Pfitzner.
After trading runs in the fourth, the Broncos pulled ahead with a five-run fifth and six-run sixth inning to take control of the game. The Toros fought back, scoring five runs across the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings, including a solo home run from Noah Karliner and a two-run double by Trey Winget, but ultimately fell short.
Winget led the Toros at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs, while Castro finished 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs. Pfitzner, Karliner, and Dylan Schumacher also drove in runs for Dominguez Hills. On the mound, Brian Kraft (4-6) took the loss, allowing four runs over three innings.
Game 2:
Dominguez Hills rebounded in game two behind strong pitching from Justin Abercrombie and a pair of home runs from Karliner and Winget.
Karliner set the tone early, launching a solo home run in the first inning to give the Toros a 1-0 lead. In the second, Winget doubled up the middle to drive in two, and Karliner followed with his second home run of the game, a two-run shot to right center, putting the Toros ahead 5-0.
Pomona managed to score twice in the fourth, but the Toros added an insurance run in the bottom half when Winget blasted a solo homer to right field, sealing the 6-2 victory.
Karliner had a standout performance, going 2-for-3 with two home runs and three RBIs, while Winget went 2-for-3 with a double, home run, and three RBIs. Teige Barrett added two hits, and Quinn Johnson singled and scored a run.
On the mound, Abercrombie (1-1) was dominant, throwing six innings and allowing just two runs on two hits while striking out six. Julian Castro closed out the game with a scoreless seventh to secure the win.
The Toros will look to take the series in the finale against Cal Poly Pomona on Monday, March 17, at 2 p.m. at Toro Field.