Baseball Wins Season Opener Against Concordia Behind 16-Hit Attack, 13-6
Joe Gevas blasts two home runs to lead Toros to victory in season opener
February 1, 2003

IRVINE, Calif.—Senior OF Joe Gevas went 3-5 with two long home runs and an RBI double to lead a 16-hit Cal State Dominguez Hills attack to fuel a 13-6 season opening win over Concordia University Saturday at CU Field.

Gevas led a trio of seniors with three hits each. 2B David Keesee and DH Frank Perez also had three hits each, including two doubles apiece, to help pace the Toro hit parade. Senior starting RHP Aldo Silva (1-0) won his tenth career game in a Toro uniform pitching the first five innings. Silva allowed two runs on four hits while striking out five.

CSUDH (1-0) struck first with a three-run first inning. Keesee and 3B Ruben Salazar got the scoring started with run-scoring doubles. RF Mike Roux added an RBI fielder’s choice to make it 3-0.

The Toros tacked on single runs in the second, third and fourth innings to make it 6-2. Gevas knocked in his first run of the game in the second on a double in right-center field. Perez’s RBI single in the third and Gevas’ first home run of the game in the fourth, a towering shot over the right field fence, gave CSUDH a 6-2 cushion.

Gevas struck again in the sixth inning with his second homer of the day, another shot over the right field wall, to make it 7-2.

Concordia (2-2) mounted a comeback though pushing across four runs in the bottom of the sixth to trim the Toro lead to 7-6. RHP Don Bracken relieved Silva in the top of the inning and worked himself into trouble allowing four straight hits, including a 2-run double. Freshman LHP Fred Medina, making his first collegiate appearance, came on and promptly allowed two RBI singles. Senior RHP Chris Ingstad was called upon and got a fly ball and a strikeout to end the threat. Ingstad finished with two strikeouts in two scoreless innings of work.

The Toros answered with a five-run seventh inning sending 11 runners to the plate to make it 12-6. CSUDH got an RBI double by Perez, a bases loaded two-run single by Salazar and two unearned runs on two Eagle errors in the inning. CSUDH added another run in the top of the eighth inning on a sacrifice fly by C Frank Valle which scored SS Jesus Hernandez who had reached earlier on a double.

Senior right-handed reliever Brian Cortes worked the final two innings to close out the game. Cortes struck out three batters and gave up two hits in his first appearance of the season.

CSUDH will be back in action tomorrow hosting its alumni. First pitch is scheduled for noon. The Toros will play its first-ever regular season game at the new Toro Field on Wednesday, Feb. 5 hosting this same Concordia University squad. First pitch is slated for 2 PM.