Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 SAN MARCOS, Calif.— The Cal State San Marcos softball team played until the sun went down Wednesday, cutting short an extra inning thriller against Lindenwood-Belleville in a 4-4 tie after the Cougars won the first matchup 11-3.

After winning the first game via run-rule in six innings backed by a Tani Leasau homerun and a complete game effort by Katie Wilkinson, the Lynx led for almost the entirety of the second game and held a 3-1 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh inning.

Tayler Ybarra ignited the Cougar rally in the seventh after taking a hit-by-pitch with one out. Pinch runner Taylor Peters advanced to third after waiting to see if Caylyn Rodriguez' double to center would drop, giving CSUSM runners on second and third with one out.

Kaitlin McGinley extended the inning with an infield single to load the bases, and Melyssa Bellamy hit a sacrifice fly to short right field that brought home Peters to cut the deficit to 3-2.

With two outs and first base open, LU-Belleville pitcher Michele Pilster elected to intentionally walk Brenna Parker, putting Alex Miller at the plate with the bases loaded in a do-or-die situation.

Miller delivered with a bases-loaded walk to tie the score, but the threat was extinguished when Olivia Lucatuorto grounded out to end the inning.

Playing under international tiebreaker rules, each team in extra innings had the opportunity to place the last out of the previous inning at second base to start the frame. The Lynx were able to bring home a run on an RBI groundout to Lucatuorto, who made an outstanding dive and throw to save the ball from reaching the outfield and allowing multiple runs to score.

Trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the eighth, Lucatuorto was placed on second base for CSUSM. Leasau bunted a slow groundball to first, allowing Lucatuorto to advance to third. In a close play at first, the Lynx second  baseman covering the bag collided with Leasau as she ran to the base, enabling Lucatuorto to come around to tie the score.

Campbell singled and Ybarra was hit by another pitch, giving the Cougars two more runners on in the frame but were not able to bring them around to score.

After a leadoff walk in the ninth inning, the game was called because of darkness— CSUSM's first tie in school history. Mallory Campbell was 3-for-4 in the game, finishing the day with five hits in seven at-bats and 4 RBI. Campbell leads the Cougars on the season with a .528 batting average in 36 at-bats.

Caylyn Rodriguez and Melyssa Bellamy had doubles in each of the games Wednesday, while Leasau clubbed a double and a homerun in the first game for 3 RBI. Katie Wilkinson improved to 8-2 with a win in the first game and pitched all 14 innings for the Cougars on her 21st birthday, allowing just 12 hits and three earned runs.

CSUSM's record now stands at 12-3-1, and is now 1-0-1 in A.I.I. play. Lindenwood-Belleville, who previously knocked off No. 4 ranked Williams Baptist (Ark.) drops to 1-5-1 and 0-1-1 in the A.I.I.

The Cougars have a busy weekend ahead of them, playing two games apiece on Saturday through Monday at the CSUSM Softball Field, starting with a matchup against cross-county foe San Diego Christian starting at 10:00am Saturday.