Coyotes’ Four-Run 8th Too Much for Toros as CSUDH Baseball Falls 6-2
Klug hits sixth homerun of season in loss
April 17, 2006

Complete Box Score

San Bernardino, CA – A four-run 8th inning by Cal State San Bernardino proved too much for Cal State Dominguez Hills as the Coyotes took the final game of the four-game series 6-2. With the loss the Toros fall to 20-15, 9-9 CCAA, while the Coyotes improve to 18-14, 14-10 CCAA.

Toros starter Chris Borchers (Torrance, CA/LA Harbor College) would start razor sharp to open the game, striking out the first two batters before Rego Nieto would take Borchers’ second pitch and blast it into the trees in right center to give the Coyotes the early 1-0 lead.

Isidro Perez (South Gate, CA/LA Harbor College) would lead off the 4th by lacing a single in the hole between the first and second basemen, after which Mateo Marquez (Biggs, CA/Cal State LA) and Cody Puckett (Apple Valley, CA/Hesperia HS) would both follow with attempted sacrifice bunts that would be mishandled by the pitcher, allowing each of them to reach safely to load the bases.

After falling behind 0-2, Jose Escobar (Palm Springs, CA/Palm Springs HS) would hit a deep fly ball to center field, allowing Perez to tag up at third and tie the game at 1-1. After Martin Conde (Los Angeles, CA/Fremont HS) would beat out a ground ball to 3B to reload the bases and give CSUDH a chance to break the game open, CSUSB starter Jeff Olson would get out of the jam by inducing a ground ball to the second baseman, who began an inning-ending 463 double play.

CCAA batting average leader Jason Klug (Moreno Valley, CA/San Bernardino Valley College) would lead off the to of the 5th by blasting a 1-2 pitch to dead center field for his sixth home run of the season, extending his hitting streak to 22 games and giving the Toros their first lead of the game at 2-1.

After the Coyote offense knotted the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the 5th inning, pinch hitter Eric Simmons would lead off the bottom of the 8th with a single of Toro reliever Gary Scott (Redondo Beach, CA/Redondo Union HS) to begin the decisive inning. After a walk Nathan Pratt and sacrifice bunt, Tony Haro gave CSUSB the lead for good with a 2RBI single to right field, after which Nieto again went deep, giving the Coyotes the eventual 6-2 win.

Coyote starter Olson would toss five innings and allow two runs on seven hits, while reliever Michael

Rocco would earn the win with 3.2 innings pitched, allowing no runs, two hits and six strikeouts. At the plate CSUSB would be led by Nieto’s two home runs and three RBIs, while Haro chipped in one hit and two RBIs

For the Toros, Borchers would also receive a no decision, lasting 7.0 innings, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out seven against one walk. Scott would be credited with the loss, giving up four runs on three hits in 1.0 inning of work. Kyle Stanley (Buena Park/Hawaii Pacific University), Marquez, and Perez would lead the Toros offense with two hits apiece.

In round three of the battle between the brothers Puckett, CSUSB’s Jake Puckett would out perform his little brother with one hit and one RBI in the game.

The Toros will next be in action on Thursday, April, 20 when they host the Tritons of UC San Diego for game one of a four-game series, with first pitch scheduled for 2:00 pm on Toro Field.