LOS ANGELES -- Junior
Tristan Usher belted two home runs as part of a 3-for-4 effort as Cal State Dominguez Hills put up three touchdowns worth of runs in a 21-7 rout of host Cal State L.A. in the opening game of today's doubleheader, before the roles reversed after the hosts took a 14-2 decision in the nightcap.
Usher drove in seven runs and scored four himself in the opener for the Toros (7-5), with
Alex Sepulveda and
Nigel Buckley adding four and three hits, respectively. Â
After putting up a run in the top of the 1st, the Toros scored 20 runs between the 4th and 8th innings to take a commanding 21-3 lead, with the hosts scoring four runs in their final at-bat for the final score.
Uhser began the deluge with an opposite field 2-run blast to left for a 3-0 lead, with
Ben Saitz roping an RBI single to bring home
Deegan Grgas.
One inning later, the Toros played four runs on five hits and costly CSULA error, with Grgas driving home a pair for an 8-0 lead.
CSULAÂ (7-6) would answer with a single run in their 5th-inning at-bat, only to have the CSUDH reply with three more runs, courtesy of Usher, Grgas and
Zac Ragland RBIs.
The Toros added five runs in each of the next two frames, with Usher launching a grand slam in the 7th and
Raoul Fabian, Jr. and Buckley going big fly in the 8th with 2-run shots of their own.
Zachary Lopez picked up his first win of the year after tossing 5.0 innings, fanning eight batters and allowing just one earned run.
The nightcap was a reversal of the opener with the Golden Eagles taking a lopsided win by scoring a pair of touchdowns themselves.
CSULA went up 5-0 before the Toros scored twice in the 3rd on an RBI single by
Angel Cortez and bases loaded walk by Buckley. But the Golden Eagles continued to pour it on, scoring thrice in the 4th and one in the 5th to complete the scoreboard.
The Toros managed just four hits in the setback with William Paxton taking the loss after lasting just 1.1 innings while allowing five earned runs.
CSUDH returns home this week with a pair of doubleheaders hosting La Sierra University, with the first two games set for February 19 on Toro Field.
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