No. 12 Chico State Sweeps CCAA Baseball Twinbill Against Toros
Wildcats get 14 unearned runs in the early game winning 15-6 then edge nightcap, 4-3
April 30, 2005

CARSON, Calif.--(April 30, 2005)--Cal State Dominguez Hills surrendered 14 unearned runs in the first game in a 15-6 loss to visiting Chico State, then dropped a 4-3 decision in the nightcap of a California Collegiate Athletic Association doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Toro Field.

The first game was scoreless until the fifth when Chico put up seven runs, six unearned, on four hits and two errors. The Wildcats got RBI singles from 2B Jeff Walker and 3B Joseph Ramos, but the big blows came off the bats of RF Chad Williams and LF Jonathan Shepard who both knocked in two runs apiece in the inning on singles to go up 7-0.

CSUDH made it interesting in the bottom of the frame plating four runs on six hits. RF Ricky Eda (Palos Verdes/Peninsula HS) drove in a run with a double and CF Isidro Perez (South Gate/South Gate HS) and LF Jose Montes (Pacoima/San Fernando HS) added RBI singles to make it 7-4.

The Toros cut it to 7-5 in the sixth inning when 3B Chris Martinez (Torrance/So. Torrance HS) connected for his first home run of the year, a solo blast deep over the rightfield wall. In the seventh, SS David Leos (Los Angeles/Venice HS) made it a 7-6 ballgame with a two-out RBI single with a runner on third.

But Chico broke the game wide open in the eighth scoring eight unearned runs on six hits and two Toro errors. The big blow came on Ryan Martin's fifth homer of the season, a 3-run shot, and 2-RBI hits from C Trevor Weedon and CF Greg Gonzalez. The Wildcats also got an RBI triple off the bat of Walker with two outs in the inning.

Williams finished 4-for-6 in the game with 2 RBI, while Shepard, Martin and Walker collected three hits apiece. Eric Giacone (1-0) earned the win in relief, going 1.2 innings allowing one run on two hits. Nick Bryant earned the save going 3.1 effective innings giving up five hits and one run.

The defense let Toro starter Gus Hernandez (2-2) down who went the first 5.0 innings and gave up seven runs, only one earned, on seven hits. Dustin Gober (Long Beach/Lakewood HS) and Fred Medina (Santa Ana/Century HS) pitched the final four innings allowing eight runs, all unearned.

In the nightcap, 3B Jorge Araiza put Chico up 2-0 in the second inning with a 2-run double with runners on first and second. The Wildcats went up 3-0 in the third with another unearned runs on a sacrifice fly by LF Cody Smith, scoring Gonzalez who reached earlier on an infield error.

But CSUDH (21-29, 11-23 CCAA) chipped away with single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to tie the game, 3-3. In the fourth, Perez put the team on the board with an RBI double. Then in the fifth, C Claudio Gutierrez hit into a 5-4-3 double play, but Leos scampered home on the play to make it 3-2. In the sixth, Eda tied the game with his league-leading 18th big fly of the season, a blast that went off the leftfield foul pole with the bases empty. Eda is now only one bomb shy of tying the CSUDH all-time single season home run record set by Joe Gevas (19) in 2003.

Chico State (34-11-1, 21-10 CCAA) had an answer though in the seventh with a clutch two-out RBI double by Ramos which scored Gonzalez who reached earlier on an infield single to go up 4-3. Closer Nick Burger came on in the seventh and got Eda to fly out to leftfield with runners on first and second to end the game and notch his league-leading 14th save of the year.

Robert Anaya (7-0) took the win in relief tossing the sixth scoreless inning. Gilberto Hernandez went the first 5.0 innings allowing all three runs on four hits while striking out five.

Toro starter Ryan Owen (4-5) suffered the loss going the first 6.2 innings allowing four runs, three earned, on seven hits.

The Wildcats and CSUDH will close out this series tomorrow with a single game at noon. Tomorrow will also be Senior Day for six Toro players who will be playing in their final home game.