LOS ANGELES -- Having dropped three-straight games to crosstown-rival Cal State LA the past two days, the Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros took a 6-4 win in the series finale, making it look as easy as 1, 2, 3 after scoring a single run in the fifth inning, two runs in the sixth and three runs in the seventh.
Malik Balloue drew three walks and scored twice in the win, with
Chris Cornelius picking up the win after 5.0 innings of 7-hit ball and allowing zero earned runs.
After the hosts opened the game with a run in their first at-bat, the Toros scored six unanswered runs to take the lead for good.
Tristan Usher began the scoring with an RBI single in the fifth, with Balloue scoring on a CSULA error and
Ben Saitz scoring on a suicide squeeze one inning later for a 3-1 lead.
The Toros completed their scoring in the seventh inning after
Dominik Cervantes drove in two runs with the bases full, with pinch-hitter
Nigel Buckley singling up the middle to bring home Balloue one batter later.
CSULA mounted a rally in the bottom of the seventh inning with three runs, with the Toros gifting them two unearned runs after two errors, but closer
Julian Castro put out the fire en route to 2.2 innings of work to pick up his fourth save of the year.
Usher, Cervantes and
Julio Camarena knocked two hits apiece in the win, bring the Toros to 16-21 overall and 8-16 in the CCAA.
The Toros travel to Stanislaus State next week for their penultimate league series of the year, with game one set for 6 pm on Friday, April 24.
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