Toven's Grand Slam Leads Hayward Back

AZUSA, Calif. – John Toven's 2-out grand slam at the top of the ninth lifted Cal State Hayward to a dramatic 8-5 come-from-behind victory over the NAIA's No. 15-ranked Azusa Pacific, Friday night in a nonconference game in Azusa.

Toven's slam, the Pioneers only hit of the inning, came off a 1-0 offering from Cougar reliever Chad Arco, who had already walked Artie Besser,Shawn Mandolesi, and Ed Tupper ahead of Toven. Arko, the Cougar ace out of the pen who came on to relief to start the ninth, appeared to be getting out of trouble when he got Brett Erickson to softbly pop up to first for the second out of the inning. But Arco then walked Tupper on 4 straight pitches before giving up Toven's homer which cleared the centerfield fence. The home run was Toven's third of a season and vindicated the Pioneers, who early in the day squandered a 12-1 lead and lost to Biola, 14-13 in 13 innings before taking on Azusa Pacific. Toven finished the game 3-for-5 with 2 runs and 4 RBIs. Matt Harris was 2-for-4 and connected on his second home run the season, a 3-run blast in the fourth that knotted of the score at 3–3.

Azusa Pacific took a 3–0 lead in the third inning on back-to-back home runs from Steve Esquivel, his fifth of the season, and Dirk Lewallyn, his third of the campaign. After Cal State Hayward took a 4-3 lead in the fifth, the Cougars rallied to tie the score in the bottom of the fifth on Lewallyn's single to right that scored Gabe Miranda, who led off the inning with a double. The Cougars then went up 5-4 on Hondo Gondinez' first home run of the season, a solo shot in the sixth.

Llewellyn finished the game 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Esquibel was 2-for-5 with 2 RBIs.

The loss snaps Azusa Pacific's 6-game winning streak and drops to Cougars record to 8–4. Cal State Hayward improves to 6–7.

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