Dominguez Hills Splits Doubleheader

When Cal State Dominguez Hills right-hander David Haggard took the mound on Saturday afternoon for the second game of a double-header, his already swollen ERA figured to expand some more against hot-hitting Azusa Pacific.

The visiting Cougars already had peppered a trio of Toros’ pitchers for 19 hits in the first game en route to a 14-4 runaway victory. And it didn’t look any better for Haggard, who entered with a 9.53 ERA, when Azusa Pacific second baseman Javier Murillo (four hits in the opener) stroked a leadoff single.

After that, however, Haggard was masterful. He silenced Azusa Pacific’s bats with a wicked split-fingered fastball, striking out eight on the way to a 3-0 shutout, which was cut short by darkness and ominous spatterings of rain.

“Azusa Pacific is a good hitting ball club,� Dominguez Hills Coach Andy Lopez said. “That second game was timely for Haggard and it was timely for us.�

The Toros got the only three runs Haggard needed in the bottom of the second. Outfielder Joe Jones opened the inning by legging out a high chopper to third, followed by a pair of singles from Joe Pardo and Rick Davis and a seeing-eye double by Dwayne Fowler.

Haggard, formerly of North Torrance High School and Harbor College, retired 12 Cougars in a row before Jeff Sears’ sixth-inning fielding error and struck out the side on 11 pitches in the fifth. Dominguez Hills’ erratic defense rallied behind Haggard as well and shortstop Davis turned in three nice plays on tough chances.

Haggard’s performance was the antithesis of the mound work the Toros received in the first game. The Cougars showed how they had scored 10 runs or more in nine straight games before Haggard snapped the streak.

Toros pitchers Ron Bunse and Armando Gomez were hammered in a disastrous second inning, when Azusa Pacific sent 11 men to the plate and used five singles and a double to score seven runs.

After that, Cougar starter Dean Weaver and Chris Van Howten (5-0-1), the eventual winner, settled down to hold Dominguez Hills, which had a team batting average of .319 going in, to nine hits the rest of the way.