CARSON — The Cal State Stanislaus baseball team bounced back from a heartbreaking defeat on Saturday by beating Cal State Dominguez Hills, 7-4, in the finale to pick up the series split today at Toro Field.
David Contreras went 3-for-4 with a double, drove in three runs and scored twice to lead the Stanislaus charge as the Warriors improved to 27-15 overall and 19-9 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. The split meant the Warriors will remain in third place in the CCAA.
Warrior pitcher Anthony Smith turned in his best start this season, in his fourth start, by going 7 2/3 innings and gave up three earned runs on nine hits. Andrew Demott, who earned his second save of the season, once again entered the game in late-innings to preserve the victory.
Cal State Dominguez Hills dropped to 19-26 overall and 15-13 in league play.
Smith and the Warriors found themselves down 3-0 after the first inning as Smith gave up five hits with two doubles in the inning. However, Stanislaus rebounded quickly with a run in the second when Contreras scored on a double-play grounder.
Smith would settle down and allowed just four more hits in the next six-plus innings. He allowed just five base runners in the next sixth innings before getting in trouble in the eighth.
The Warriors put up a three-spot in the fourth with Contreras driving in two runs with a double after two outs to score
Dante Palacios and
Dennis Wolfe.
Kyle Loretelli scored earlier in the inning on Wolfe's single to center that was also mis-handled by the CSUDH center fielder.
Stanislaus would go on to score three runs — one in each of the final three innings — for the final score.
Jake Oketani, Wolfe and Dustin Donnell each had two hits and Oketani also hitting a double as part of the Warriors' 12-hit attack.
Contreras had a solid weekend against the Toros as he went 7-for-13 (.538) with a double and drove in four runs plus a stolen base. Loretelli was 7-for-16 with a double, home run and eight RBIs. As a team, the Warriors batted .322 against Dominguez Hills.
