CSUDH Softball Eliminated by No. 5-Seeded Seattle University in NCAA West Region Contest, 4-3
Toros end season 33-22-1, including school's first NCAA playoff win yesterday morning
May 6, 2004

Complete Box Score

Arcata, CA -- Cal State Dominguez Hills belted 12 hits while benefitting from four Seattle University errors, but the Toros stranded 10 runners and had three thrown out trying to advance -- including one at home plate -- as the Redhawks took a 4-3 decison over the Toros on day two of the NCAA West Region, hosted by Humboldt State.

The loss, the second for CSUDH, eliminates the Toros from the postseason and ends their season at 33-22-1, while SU improves to 28-16 and will face the winner of Cal State Bakersfield / San Francisco State later this afternoon.

The Toros started the scoring in their opening at-bat as leadoff hitter Cindy Perry (Victorville, CA/Silverado HS) reached base on the first of four Redhawk errors. After advancing to second on a ground out, Ally Williams (La Crescenta, CA/Crescenta Valley HS) stroked a single to center field to bring home Perry and give CSUDH a 1-0 lead.

The Redhawks would answer in their initial at-bat as Jaime Hesselgesser-Wright followed a one-out walk with a blast over the left field fence off CSUDH starter Lisa Grove (Buena Park, CA/Kennedy HS), giving SU a 2-1 advantage.

CSUDH continued to hit Redhawk starter Jennifer Hewitt, belting five hits over the next three innings, but were unable to put any runs across the plate as it stranded four runners over that stretch. The Toros had a golden opportunity in the top of their second frame, stringing together consecutive two-out singles by Kim O'Hanian (Norwalk, CA/St. Paul HS) and Natalie Greco (Downey, CA/Warren HS) to bring Perry to the plate. After pinch-runner Taneisha Antoine (Los Angeles, CA/Dorsey HS) was brought in for O'Hanian at second base, Perry bounced a single to center field, sending Antoine screaming towards home. SU center fielder Marjalena Santos, however, sailed a perfect one-hop throw to the plate a step ahead of Antoine, and catcher Krystal Duncan held on to the ball as the two collided to register the final out of the inning.

Three innings later, the Toros finally broke through, scoring twice to knot the game at 3-3. After Perry reach on an error to lead off the frame, Lori Moreno (Los Angeles, CA/California HS) was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second with none out. Senior Dani Proctor (La Crescenta, CA/Crescenta Valley HS) and junior Crystal Dingman (Sunland, CA/Verdugo HS) followed a successful sacrifice bunt with consecutive singles to bring home Perry and Moreno, and the Toros had a chance to break the game open one out later as hot-hitting Natalie Sharp (Whittier, CA/California HS) stepped to the plate with runners on first and second. Notching her first two home runs of the season during the first day of competition yesterday, Sharp drove a line-drive deep to left field, but pulled it just wide as it sailed over the fence. Benefitting from the second error of the inning, Sharp reached to load the bases, but Hewitt induced O'Hanian to ground out to shortstop, ending the rally.

The Redhawks would use that rally-stopping momentum to their advantage as they took a 4-3 lead in the bottom of their fifth inning. After loading the bases on two singles and a walk, SU batter Krystal Duncan won her battle against Grove, drawing the walk to give the Redhawks their final run.

CSUDH mounted its final charge in its last at-bat as Proctor beat out an infield single to shortstop with one out. After Dingman bounced into a fielder's choice for the second out, Grove followed with a single to right center that skipped between the center and right fielders. Dingman, however, was only able to reach third as Grove hustled into second base. Given a reprieve, SU's Hewitt induced Sharp to ground out to first base unassisted for the game's final out.

Offensively, the Toros pounded 12 hits in the contest, led by Perry, Proctor, Dingman and O'Hanian who tallked two hits apiece, and had at least one runner reach base in every inning, including the leadoff hitter in four frames.

Grove, who threw five innings allowing three earned runs and five hits in the loss (12-7), walked five batters while fanning three.

SU's Hewitt hurled all seven innings for the Redhawks, improving to 15-6 on the season. SU catcher Duncan was stellar defensively, throwing out two Toro runners attempting to steal bases.

The Toros end their season by posting their first-ever NCAA postseason victory by virtue of their 7-0 win over Cal State Bakersfield yesterday, making consecutive NCAA postseason appeareances, setting nine school records and registering 33 wins this season, the fourth-consecutive season in which the Toros have won at least 30 games.