Baseball Getting on Track, Splits Doubleheader Against CS Dominguez Hills
February 6, 2007

Complete Box Scores »»  Game 1     Game 2

After a rocky 0-7 start to the season, the young Cougar baseball team seems to be settling in. The squad split a double-header at Cal State Dominguez Hills on Wednesday, winning the first game 11-9 and losing the second 5-2.

Just two days after getting the first win in program history on the road, the Cougars turned in another solid performance away from home. In game one, slugger Scott Shapiro got things started with a solo opposite-field home run in the first, giving CSUSM a quick 1-0 lead. The Vandy transfer is now hitting an impressive .455 with 3 home runs and a team-leading 11 RBI.

Dominguez Hills answered in the second with a run of their own, as Scott Moore drove in Chris Hunter with a single.

With what looked to be a pitchers' duel developing, both offenses exploded in the third. It certainly didn't look that way when the Cougars made their second out and just had a runner on second, but Terry Moritz brought home the runner with a single, Shapiro walked, and Adam Ricciardulli tripled in both runs. Ricciardulli then scored when the catcher threw the ball away trying to pick him off third, giving the Cougars a 6-1 lead for the game.

Not to be outdone, Dominguez Hills pushed across 3 runs in the bottom half of the inning. It could have been worse; they led off with a double, single, and double, but Cougar starter David Julio was able to keep the Cougars in the lead.

In the 4th, Shapiro singled in Chuck Baird to extend the Cougars lead to 7-4, but Dominguez Hills would tie the game in the 5th. With a full count, Mateo Marquez doubled in the first run, knocking out Julio in the process. Reliever Eric Julienne would be welcome rudely with a single by Matt Magallon and a run scoring error by the catcher. Another single drove in the third run of the inning, but Julienne rallied to strike out the final two hitters to keep the game tied.

CSUSM re-took the lead in the 6th, thanks to RBI's from Matt Jenkins and Matt Castro. Dominguez Hills got one back in their half of the inning when Houston Hernandez scored on a Dustin Hicks groundout.

As they had all game, the Cougars kept one step ahead, expanding the lead to 11-8 in the 7th when Terry Moritz crushed a two-run homer to left center. Dominguez Hills got one back with no outs in the 8th off reliever Lance McCormick, but Shapiro came in to pitch and held them scoreless for the final two innings to preserve the win. He picked up the save, while McCormick was credited with the win.

Game two didn't showcase the offensive firepower that the first match did, but was very exciting in its own right. The 7-inning contest got off to a rough start for the Cougars, with starter Ian Thompson allowing 3 runs (2 earned) in just 1/3 of an inning pitched, courtesy of a bases loaded walk and passed ball. Reliever Auggie Richardson finished off the inning, then gave way to Russell Zabel who gave the Cougars a solid 3 2/3 innings of 1-run ball. Gerald Casanda finished things off with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless work.

Dominguez Hills had no such issues with juggling pitchers. Starter Jeff Phillips went the distance, allowing just 5 hits and 2 runs (1 earned) over his 7 innings of work.

The Cougars only run-scoring inning was the 5th, and the rally was brief. Chuck Baird reached on a throwing error, and Terry Moritz homered to right field to get CSUSM on the board. It was Moritz's team-leading fourth home run on the year.

CSUSM went down without a hit in the 6th and 7th to fall to 2-8 on the season. Overall though, the day has to be considered a positive for the program, picking up the big win in the first game and hanging in there in the second. The Cougars will look to build momentum with their next game, a February 14th contest at Occidental.