Toros Drop First Game of Baseball Doubleheader, Nightcap Called Due to Darkness
Sonoma State evens series with 11-8 win in early game, second game suspended after eight innings tied, 4-4
April 5, 2003

Complete Box Score

CARSON, Calif.--Sonoma State tied this weekend's four-game California Collegiate Athletic Association series by holding on for an 11-8 win in the first game of today's twinbill. The second game was suspended due to darkness after eight innings with the score knotted at four runs apiece. The game will resume tomorrow beginning at 11:00 a.m.

Joe Gevas hit two home runs Saturday giving him fourteen on the season, just one shy of tying the CSUDH all-time single season home run mark set by Ed Packard in 1978. (File photo)

In the first game, SSU (27-10-1, 14-8 CCAA) took control early with six runs in the first, four of them unearned, on five hits and a Toro error. The big blow in the inning was a two-out three-run homer off the bat of Brandon Burgess. Effren Trejo also did some damage with a two-run single and Armando Ornelas knocked in a run with a double earlier in the inning.

CSUDH (19-20, 13-17 CCAA) cut the deficit in half with three runs in the third. Mike Milstead hit his second home run in as many days, a solo shot to left field, and Tony Marquez drove in two more with a double to deep left making it 6-3.

Sonoma answered back with three runs in the fourth and fifth innings to take a 9-3 advantage. In the fourth, Ryan Nelson hit a one out double and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Tom Everidge then scored Nelson on a sacrifice fly. In the fifth, SSU got two more unearned runs on a Toro error. Trejo led off the inning and got aboard on a fielding error by third baseman Ruben Salazar. CSUDH starter Rick Moore (4-5) got the next two outs, but then gave up back-to-back doubles to Burgess and Keian Davis to give SSU a 9-3 lead.

The Toros got a run back in the bottom of the fifth on Joe Gevas' thirteenth home run of the season, a solo blast to right field, to make it 9-4.

The Seawolves added a run in the seventh on an RBI double from Gil Barry for a 10-4 lead. The Toros answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning after an RBI double from Salazar and a run-scoring single from Frank Perez. Salazar's double gave him 21 on the year tying the CSUDH record for most doubles in a season set by Edgar Esqueda in 2002.

SSU added another run in the eighth on a Brent Sullivan solo home run for an 11-7 lead. The Toros scored again in the ninth on a pinch-hit RBI single from Zac Cort and had the tying run at the plate with two outs in pinch hitter Jarred Lewis, but Ryan McClelland induced a game-ending fielder's choice to end the game.

Brandon Burgess led the team with four RBI in the first game going 2-for-4 with a home run and a double. Matt Guerrero (2-0) earned the win going the first 5.0 innings allowing four runs on seven hits while striking out five. McClelland earned the save pitching the final 4.0 innings.

Rick Moore (4-5) suffered the loss for CSUDH pitching 5.0 innings allowing nine runs, only three earned, on 10 hits. Left-hander Ryan Owen pitched the final 4.0 innings giving up only two runs on four hits.

In the second game, CSUDH got on the board first on Gevas' solo home run, his fourteenth of the year, just one shy of the single season record (15) set by Ed Packard in 1978.

The Toros took a 3-1 lead in the fourth on a 2-run homer by Cort, a deep shot to right field.

Sonoma took the lead, 4-3, with three unearned runs in the fifth. on a fielder's choice RBI by Adam Rachlin and two Toro errors.

CSUDH tied the game in the bottom of the fifth on a run-scoring base hit through the left side by Tony Marquez making it 4-4. It stayed that way until the game was suspended due to darkness.

Starting Toro pitcher Aldo Silva was impressive going the distance while striking out a career-high 11 batters through the first eight innings.