Facing a strong Cal Baptist team in a road double-header on Saturday, Cougar baseball earned a hard-fought 12-10 game two victory to salvage the series.  CBU won game one 8-1.

CSUSM is now 5-4-1 on the year, while Cal Baptist is 8-3.

Game one started out as a very close contest, with Cal Baptist taking a 1-0 first inning lead off Cougar starter Travis McCracken, and that score holding for the game's first four and a half innings.  But the Lancers would blow the game open in the fifth, plating six runs on the strength of a couple of big RBI doubles.

The Cougars' lone run came in the sixth, with Omar Manzanarez scoring on a Kevin Silvett double.  Reliever Eric Julienne did everything he could, throwing three innings of one-hit shutout ball, but the Lancers would win comfortably.

Game two would be a different story, however.  Between Friday's 9-0 loss and the 8-1 defeat in game one, the Cougars were in danger of not only having a very disappointing road trip, but of falling under .500 on the season.

But Coach Dennis Pugh's squad would not let that happen.  As in the other games, Cal Baptist's lineup got its runs, this time off Cougar ace Brett Miller, who lasted just 2+ innings and gave up seven runs.

Down 7-0 at the end of the second inning, the Cougar lineup started the improbable comeback.  Mitch Ferguson got things going in the third with a one-out double, and Ricardo Moran singled him home.  With two outs, an error allowed Silvett to reach and extended the inning, and Josh Miller would take full advantage with an RBI base hit.  That brought Johnny Omahen to the plate, and Omahen continued his red hot hitting this season with a two-run triple to right.  Finally, Mike Pena drilled an RBI single up the middle, bringing Omahen home and making the game a suddenly-respectable 7-5.

The Cougars were far from done.  With reliever Ricky Chavarria throwing hitless innings in the third and fourth, CSUSM took its first lead in the fifth.  A one-out double by Silvett set the table for Miller, who blasted his fourth home run of the season to pull the game even.   With two outs, Pena would re-start the rally with a single, and Matt Jenkins doubled in pinch runner Greg Vrooman.  Niko Leite then knocked a single, and Ferguson cleared the bases with a two-RBI double. 

That made it 10-7 Cougars, and after Cal Baptist got a run in the bottom of the fifth, the score would hold at 10-8 entering the 7^th and final (scheduled) inning.  But with Cougar closer Spencer Pardon in, the Lancers would tie up the game on an RBI from Ryan Douglass.  Pardon would manage to strand the potential game-winning run.

Pardon and Auggie Richardson would combine to pitch a scoreless eighth, and in the top of the ninth the Cougar lineup would provide the eventual game-winning runs.  Jenkins was hit by a pitch, promptly stole second, and was balked over to third.  With two outs, Ferguson drew a walk, and the run would score on a wild pitch.  Ricardo Moran provided some insurance with an RBI single to make it 11-9.

Just three outs away from victory, the big question was who would pitch the ninth for the Cougars.  It would be Ferguson, who made his debut on the mound in a high-pressure situation.  He quickly closed out the game, inducing a pair of fly outs and a ground out to pick up the well-earned save.

CSUSM baseball, now a game over .500, will be at Concordia this Tuesday.