Two weeks after upsetting #3 Point Loma on the road, CSUSM baseball was at it again, winning a slugfest against Master's College 14-12.

The Cougars are now 8-3 on the season.

A nine-run seventh inning was the difference for CSUSM on Friday.  Master's came out swinging, scoring 8 runs in the first four innings.  The Cougar offense also got on the board early.  Dane Ponciano blasted a two-run homer in the first, and Scott Clement and Josh Miller tallied RBI singles in the third.

The teams traded runs in the sixth, with James Scott blasting his team-leading seventh home run of the season in the top of the frame.  Still, the Cougars found themselves down 9-5 heading into the seventh.

And that's when the San Marcos offense went to work.

Ponciano drew a walk to start the seventh, and Clement doubled to left.  That put two runners in scoring position for Miller, who plated both runs with a double of his own.  Mike Pena then knocked a single to center, scoring pinch runner Spencer Pardon.  After a pitching change, Austin Coleman, Johnny Omahen, and James Scott all walked, plating another run.  Ricardo Moran greeted the next pitcher with a big two-RBI single to center.

Now leading 11-9, the Cougars had two runners in scoring position and a chance to really drive the stake in.  Up stepped Ponciano, and he did just that, crushing his second long ball of the game to right to put CSUSM up 14-9.

Master's offense rallied for three runs in the seventh, and with two full innings left to play, the Cougars held a tenuous 14-12 lead.  But pitcher Travis McCracken was brought in, and did a phenomenal job of absolutely shutting down the red hot opposing offense.  McCracken got six outs without allowing a hit, striking out one and walking one - and most importantly, closing out the game.

It's another huge win for a Cougar baseball team that's firing on all cylinders right now.  They'll be back in action next Tuesday against Biola.