Quartz Sports-CSUDH Preseason CCAA Baseball Tournament: Toros Defeat CSUSB in Ten Innings; Cal Poly Pomona Over Cal State L.A.
CSUDH's Salazar's walk-off homer secures 3-2 win; Cal Poly Pomona takes late game, 13-3, over Cal State L.A.
January 31, 2004

Cal State Dominguez Hills 3, Cal State San Bernardino, 2 (10 innings)

Cal Poly Pomona 13, Cal State L.A. 3

Cal State Dominguez Hills 3, Cal State San Bernardino, 2 (10 innings) Box Score

CARSON, Calif.--Ruben Salazar (Lynwood/St. John Bosco HS) hit a walk-off solo homerun in the bottom of the tenth inning to give Cal State Dominguez Hills a 3-2 win over Cal State San Bernardino in the first game of the Quartz Sports-CSUDH Preseason CCAA Baseball Tournament at Toro Field on Saturday afternoon.

CSUSB broke out on top in the fourth inning on a leadoff double by RF Daron Roberts. One out later, 3B Marcos Ramos drove Roberts in on a double down the left field line to give the Coyotes a 1-0 lead.

But CSUDH answered in the bottom of the fifth pushing across a run to tie the score. 2B Pedro Montero (San Fernando/San Fernando HS) led off with a single followed by an RBI double by C Efren Esparza (Compton/Dominguez HS). The Toros took a 2-1 lead in the seventh on a two out RBI double by RF Zac Cort (El Cerrito/El Cerrito HS) scoring SS Fernando Hernandez (Southgate, CA) who reached earlier when he was hit by a Chris Hayes pitch.

Toro reliever Chris Abbott (Tujunga/Pasadena HS) was called on in the ninth to close out the game but couldn't shut the door giving up an RBI single to CF Mario Mancha tying the game, 2-2. That set up Salazar's heroics in the tenth to give the Toros the season-opening victory. Abbott (1-0) was credited with the win going 2.0 innings while allowing a run on three hits. CSUDH starter Ryan Owen (Riverside/W. Torrance HS) was sharp going the first 5.2 innings giving up only one run on four hits. RHP's Ramon Mata (Long Beach/LB Jordan HS) and Ryan Smith (Long Beach/Millikan HS) combined in relief to pitch 2.1 innings of one-hit ball.

Cort, Esparza and 1B Ian Corso (Thousand Oaks, CA) all collected two hits each to lead the Toro 10-hit attack.

Cal Poly Pomona 13, Cal State L.A. 3 Box Score

In the late game, Cal Poly Pomona jumped on Golden Eagle starter Chris Johnson (0-1) early scoring six runs over the first three innings, eventually going on for the 13-3 win. Pomona LF Jason Stuck started the outburst in the first on a two-run blast to center field for a 2-0 lead.

Cal State L.A. C Rafael Arroyo trimmed it to 2-1 on a leadoff homer in the second. However, Cal Poly Pomona pushed across three more runs in the third on a solo homerun by SS Chase Stroupe, an RBI single by 1B Kenneth Galindo and a sacrifice fly by C Anthony Esquer making it 6-1.

CPP took a 9-1 lead in the sixth on a two run double off the bat of 2B Greg Denning and a run-scoring fielder's choice from Matt Stevens.

The Golden Eagles plated two runs in the seventh on RBI singles from Arroyo and SS Matt Winkleman. However, the Broncos scored four more insurance runs in the top of the eighth to go on for the 13-3 win.

Pomona starter Jose Munoz (1-0) pitched a strong 6.0 innings to earn the victory. Munoz allowed only one run on two hits while striking out eight batters. Johnson was tagged with the loss for CSULA allowing six runs, four earned, on five hits. LHP Brandon Higelin came on in the fourth and allowed seven runs, three earned, on six hits over 4.0 innings.

Stuck led the Broncos at the plate going 3-for3 with three RBI, three runs and a homerun. Denning also knocked in three runs on two hits on the day.