Carson, Calif.- Cal State Dominguez Hills battled through a tight contest but fell 4-3 to Cal State East Bay in the series opener Friday afternoon at Toro Field.
The Toros took an early lead in the second inning when Kaleb Castro brought in Dylan Schumacher on a sacrifice fly. Starting pitcher Darren Roberts held the Pioneers scoreless through six innings, but the visitors broke through in the seventh with two runs. They added another in the eighth to take a 3-1 lead before the Toros responded. In the bottom of the eighth, Noah Karliner tripled to right-center, driving in Brett Castillo and Nigel Buckley to even the score at 3-3. However, a ninth-inning run by the Pioneers proved to be the difference as CSUDH was unable to rally in the final frame.
Roberts delivered a strong start, going seven innings while allowing two runs on five hits with two strikeouts. Julian Castro (2-2) took the loss after surrendering one run in the ninth. Offensively, CSUDH finished with seven hits, led by Emilio Barrera's two-hit effort. Schumacher and Trey Winget each doubled, while Karliner notched his first triple of the season.
Toro Stat Leaders:
CSUDH, now 18-12 overall and 14-7 in CCAA play, looks to bounce back with a doubleheader against Cal State East Bay on Saturday, beginning at 12 p.m.
