Montes Hits Walk-Off Home Run As Toros Beat Chico State, 10-9
Montes celebrates Senior Day in style with a 4-for-5 4 RBI performance
May 1, 2005

It was Senior Day at Toro Field. Photo of seniors with families at bottom of page.

Complete Box Score

CARSON, Calif.--(May 1, 2005)--Senior LF Jose Montes (Pacoima/San Fernando HS) walked off Toro Field for the last regular season game in style with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning that lifted Cal State Dominguez Hills to a 10-9 California Collegiate Athletic Association win Sunday afternoon over Chico State.

Senior Jose Montes is rounding the bases after his ninth-inning blast that won the game for the Toros. Photo by Michael Foo

The Toros dropped the first three games of this weekend series to the Wildcats, and on Senior Day it was important to end the home schedule on a positive note. Montes, along with fellow seniors 1B Ian Corso (Thousand Oaks/Thousand Oaks HS), C Claudio Gutierrez (Sylmar/San Fernando HS), RF Ricky Eda (Palos Verdes/Peninsula HS) and 3B Chris Martinez (Torrance/So. Torrance HS) all contributed in the hard-fought win.

Chico State, ranked No. 12 in the latest NCAA II poll, took a 5-0 lead into the fourth inning before CSUDH was able to get on the board. The Wildcats got single runs in the first, second and third, including LF Jonathan Shepard's first of two home runs on the day, a leadoff solo shot in the second frame. Chico added two more runs in the fourth on a bases loaded walk to CF Greg Gonzalez by Toro starter Chris Borchers (Torrance/So. Torrance HS), followed by a run-scoring fielders choice by 2B Jeff Walker.

Freshman DH Matt Hopps (Torrance/So. Torrance HS) knocked in the Toros first run of the day lacing a double to center making it 5-1. Borcher's blanked the Wildcats in the fifth and sixth innings and CSUDH pushed across three runs in the fifth to trim the game to 5-4. In that inning, the Toros took advantage of Chico's starting pitcher Reid Horton who hit a batter, walked three and gave up an RBI single to Montes.

Chico State (24-12-1, 21-11 CCAA) got another run in the seventh on a RBI double by 3B Joseph Ramos for a 6-4 lead. But Cal State Dominguez Hills (22-29, 12-23 CCAA) forged a 9-6 lead with a five-run seventh. It was Montes striking again with a one-out bases loaded 2-run single to right field to tie the game, 6-6. The next batter, Ian Corso, stepped up and crushed a 3-run homer way over the right-center field wall, his 11th blast of the year, for a 9-6 lead.

But Chico State got two runs back in the top of the eighth off of freshman pitcher Gary Scott (Redondo Beach/Redondo Union HS) who came on to start the inning to make it 9-8. Scott allowed Shepard's second home run of the day, a leadoff shot to right field, and an RBI single to Gonzalez scoring SS Chad Nelson who had reached earlier on a single.

The Wildcats tied the game in the top of the ninth on a two-out RBI single through the right side of the infield scoring Shepard who reached on a double. Scott got out of the two-out jam with runners on first and second with a fielder's choice to end the inning.

Chico's comeback set the stage for Montes' heroics in the bottom of the ninth with his fourth home run of the season. Wildcat closer Nick Burger, who leads the CCAA conference with 14 saves, got leadoff batter Isidro Perez to groundout. That brought up Montes who jumped all over Burger's first offering for the game-winning hit.

Montes finished the game 4-for-5 with 4 RBI, while Ian Corso also knocked in four runs going 2-for-3 including his 3-run shot in the seventh. Ricky Eda finished 1-for-5 on the day with a run scored and Claudio Gutierrez, who was hit three times today at the plate, went 1-for-1 with two runs scored.

Scott (4-4) took the win going 2.0 innings allowing three runs on eight hits. Borchers went the first 7.0 innings allowing six runs, five earned, on 10 hits.

Gonzalez led Chico at the plate going 4-for-5 with 2 RBI, while Shepard finished 3-for-4 with 2 RBI. Chad Nelson also collected three hits in the game. Burger suffered his first loss of the year after allowing the home run to Montes.

Today concluded the Toros 2005 home schedule. CSUDH closes out the campaign with three games this week beginning Wednesday at UC San Diego.