CARSON -- After being blanked for just the second time this season to kick off this morning's twinbill, Cal State Dominguez Hills regrouped to take a 6-2 nightcap win over visiting Chico State behind a 2-for-3, 3RBI performance by
Savanna Kastigar to salvage a Friday split and win the season series, three games to one over the Wildcats.
The split brings the Toro to 27-20 overall and 9-15 in conference play.
Getting shut out in the opener, the Toros got on the board quickly in the nightcap with two runs in the first inning, courtesy of a Kastigar 2RBI single to right field for a 2-0 lead.
Toro starter
Audrey Gallegos kept the Wildcats off the board for the first four innings before Chico broke through with a single run in the fifth.
The Toros answered right back with four runs as Kastigar brought home her third run of the game with an RBI double to give the hosts a 3-1 lead.Â
Dyoni Garcia followed with an RBI knock for a 4-1 lead, with pinch-runner
Sydney Letzing scoring two batters later on a passed ball and a Wildcat fielding error gifting the Toros their fourth and final run of the frame.
Reliever
Ashley Ogata allowed a single run in the sixth but it was too little, too late as the Toros claimed their first series win of the year.
Gaby Gandara also knocked a pair of hits while Gallegos improved to 6-5 on the year.
The opener saw master classes from both starting pitchers in Toro
Ashley Ogata and Wildcat Bella Tavares with neither allowing a hit over the first five innings of play.
In the top of the sixth, a Toro error to begin the inning proved costly as the Chico runner scored on the first hit of the game.
CSUDH looked to gain momentum in their sixth-inning at-bat after Gandara doubled with one out, and
Makayla Bishop followed with a walk. After a strikeout,
Marisa Dominguez walked to load the bases, but Tavares induced a groundout to quell the would-be Toro rally.
The Toros had one final shot at tying the game in their final at-bat with runners on first and second with two out, but again the Wildcats escaped after Gandara hammered a line drive right at the third baseman.
The hosts managed four hits in the loss.
CSUDH travels to San Francisco State to battle the Gators next weekend, starting Friday at 1 pm.
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