Toros Split Opening Baseball Twinbill at Hawaii Pacific
March 19, 2004

Complete Box Scores
Game 1      Game 2

Honolulu, HI—Ryan Owen (Riverside/W. Torrance HS) tossed his first career complete game allowing only seven hits as Cal State Dominguez Hills won the first game of a non-conference doubleheader, 6-1, against Hawaii Pacific University at Aloha Stadium. In the nightcap, HPU held on for a 4-3 victory to earn a split of the twinbill.

CSUDH is now 9-23 on the year while Hawaii Pacific improves to 9-15.

In the first game, HPU’s Greg Benoit put the home team on the board with a two-out run scoring single to left field giving the Sea Warriors a 1-0 lead.

The Toros tied the game in the second when CF Jason Flores (Whittier/St. Paul HS), who finished the game 4-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI, led off with his first double of the game. 3B Fernando Hernandez (Southgate/Southgate HS) reached on a bunt base hit giving CSUDH runners on the corners. Flores then scored when 2B Houston Hernandez (La Mirada/St. Paul HS) grounded into a double play to knot the score, 1-1.

It would stay that way until the top of the seventh when the Toros sent nine batters to the plate and scored five runs on four HPU errors. 1B Daniel Pilimai (Sacramento/Rocklin HS) drove in a run on a single and Flores added an RBI double.

Owen gave up a walk in the seventh but that was it to register his first collegiate complete game. Owen gave up one run on seven hits while striking out five batters.

Flores led the 11-hit attack with four hits while RF Zac Cort (El Cerrito/El Cerrito HS) and Pilimai had two hits apiece.

In the nightcap, Hawaii Pacific held on for a 4-3 lead to earn the split. The Toros went up 1-0 in the first on a run-scoring groundout by Jose Montes (Pacoima/San Fernando HS) scoring Cort who led off the inning with a walk.

But the Sea Warriors answered in the bottom of the frame with three runs to take a 3-1 lead. Kyle Stanley hit a two-out single to center to clear the bases that were loaded as a result of three hit batters by CSUDH starter Raul Claros (Hawthorne/Los Angeles HS). Stanley’s hit was a sinking liner to right-center field that CF Fred Medina (Santa Ana/Century HS) almost made a highlight play on. Medina left his feet and was vertical with the ball in his mit, however, it came loose when he hit the ground allowing all three runs to score.

Cal State Dominguez Hills tied the game with two runs in the fourth on a wild pitch with runners on the corners followed by an RBI triple by SS David Leos (Los Angeles/Venice HS).

But HPU scored the game-winning run in the fifth on a leadoff single by Geoffrey Say followed one out later by a triple from Tyler Ward.

CSUDH managed only three hits in the late game off Sea Warrior pitchers Bart Mendonca and Scott Batula.

Toro starter Raul Claros went the distance tossing a career-high six innings allowing four runs on six hits. Claros finished with two strikeouts while walking only one.

The series continues tomorrow with a doubleheader scheduled at Aloha Stadium beginning at 4 PM.