LOS ANGELES -- Cal State LA's baseball team got the perfect remedy to a frustrating end to the opener of Saturday's California Collegiate Athletic Association doubleheader.
The Golden Eagles, after seeing a 2-2 tie through six innings turn into a 13-2 loss in the opener, got superb pitching performances from
Owen Hunt and
Mikell Chavez to take the nightcap, 6-1, and earn a split of the doubleheader at Reeder Field. Cal State LA (11-10, 6-5 CCAA) scored four times in the first inning of the nightcap and Hunt and Chavez did the rest. The duo limited the high-powered Toro attack to just five hits and one run in seven innings of work. Cal State Dominguez Hills (15-10, 10-5 CCAA) had the bases loaded and one out in the sixth, but Chavez came on to get a strikeout and a flyout to end the inning with the Golden Eagles holding a 4-1 lead. Cal State LA then tacked on a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth to account for the final margin.
The opener got away from the Golden Eagles after the game was tied at 2-2 through six innings.
Brent Jacques allowed only single runs in the first and third innings before running into some trouble in the seventh. By the time the dust head cleared, the Toros had pushed across six runs, four coming on a grand slam by Matt Mecate after Jacques had departed with two outs in the inning. He walked one and struck out nine over 6 2/3 innings while allowing four runs.
Cal State Dominguez added three runs in the eighth and two in the ninth to increase the lead.
Smelko was 5-for-5 at the top of the Cal State Dominguez Hills lineup and scored five runs, while Ogrin, Anthony Accordino and Mecate had three hits each.Â
Wilem Drozdowski and Anthony Angel Jr. had two hits each for the Golden Eagles.
Isaac Mullins went 8 1/3 strong innings to get the win for the Toros. Julio Lopez got the final two outs.
Cal State LA tied the game at 2-2 with two runs in the third inning scoring on a two-out double by Drozdowski that drove in
Johnny Pacheco and a run-scoring single by
Will Picketts.
Cal State LA started quickly in the nightcap, scoring four times in the first inning. Drozdowski and
A.J. Salgado drew one-out walks to start things and Picketts doubled in Drozdowski in front of
Drew Emmons, who flared a triple down the left-field line that eventually rolled to the wall while Salgado and Picketts scored. A run-scoring double by Luff made it 4-0.
Hunt was magnificent and carried a shutout into the sixth inning. Smelko smacked a solo home run to get the Toros on the board and two walks and a hit batter gave Cal State Dominguez Hills the tying runs on base. Chavez came on and, six pitches later, the Golden Eagles were out of the jam.Â
Cal State LA got two more runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Thomas Chavez drew a two-out walk and pinch runner
Nick Penzetta moved to second after
Nick Atkins reached on an error. Pacheco singled up the middle to drive in Penzetta and a single by Drozdowski drove in Atkins to complete the scoring.
Picketts went 3-for-3 in the nightcap for the Golden Eagles.
Hunt improved to 4-0 and
Mikell Chavez picked up his first save.
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