Toros Win in Non-Conference Rout over Biola, 19-3
CSUDH belts five home runs in the game including two by Ruben Salazar
March 26, 2003

Complete Box Score

CARSON, Calif.--Cal State Dominguez Hills pounded out 22 hits on the day including five home runs to rout visiting Biola University, 19-3, in non-conference baseball action Wednesday at Toro Field. It was the most runs scored by CSUDH this year. Ruben Salazar led the Toros onslaught with two home runs while driving in four RBI.

CSUDH (16-16) scored eight runs in the first three innings to take control. Joe Gevas put the Toros on the board early with a 2-run single in the first.

Cal State Dominguez Hills pushed across five more runs in the second on four hits and an error. Zac Cort led off the inning with a double then scored on a throwing error by Biola third baseman Sal Poti. Jason Flores followed with a run-scoring single then one out later scored on an RBI double by Mike Milstead making it 5-0. After Gevas was intentionally walked, Salazar knocked in two runs on a double to deep center field for a 7-0 lead.

The Toros added a run in the third then broke the game wide open in the fourth with three home runs in the inning making it 13-0. Gevas and Salazar hit back-to-back homers followed by a three-run blast off the bat of Tony Marquez. Gevas' bomb was his eleventh of the season, just four shy of the school record.

CSUDH pushed across six more runs in the sixth. Salazar led off the inning with his second homer of the game. One out later, the Toros got four consecutive singles, one of them a pinch-hit RBI single from Frankie Valle. A passed ball plated another run before Andrew Rodriguez launched his first home run of the season, a three-run shot deep over the right field fence, to give CSUDH a commanding 19-0 lead.

Biola got on the board in the eighth inning with an unearned run on a Toro error. BU's Frank Thomas scored from second base on a fielding error by CSUDH second baseman Marquez.

Freshman pitcher Chris Abbott came on in the ninth and gave up two runs to account for the final margin. Sean Kujawa led off the inning with a single followed by a double off the bat of Bo Moore putting runners on second and third with no outs. Brent Lavoie then reached on an error by Toro third baseman Frank Perez allowing the runner to score from third. Richard Fixsen then hit an RBI double for the Eagles third and final run. Abbott retired the next three in a row to end the game.

Cal State Dominguez Hills was on the day by Salazar's four runs driven in off of two home runs and a double. Salazar finished 3-for-6 at the plate. Marquez also had three hits and three RBI, including his sixth home run of the year. Zac Cort had a solid day at the plate with three hits of his own, going 3-for-3 with three runs scored. The Toros had at least four other players with two hits apiece.

Ramon Mata (1-0) was the pitcher of record earning his first win of the year. Mata tossed the first four shutout innings giving up only two hits while striking out three. Four other pitchers combined allowing three runs over the final five innings. Troy Doram was impressive pitching two hitless innings, striking out three batters.

For Biola (18-8), Kujawa registered two of the Eagles seven hits on the day going 2-for-4 at the plate. Starter Garet Hill suffered his first loss of the season going the first 3.1 innings allowing 13 runs on 12 hits. Reid Hamblet went 2.2 innings in relief allowing six runs, all earned, on six hits. Justin Angevine and Bo Moore tossed the final two shutout innings.

CSUDH returns to CCAA action travelling to San Francisco State this weekend with a four-game series beginning on Friday at 2:30 p.m.