Box Score A Kevin Silvett RBI single in the 8th inning made the difference, as CSUSM baseball went on the road to defeat San Diego Christian on Friday.
The Cougars are now 7-5-1 on the season, while the Hawks drop to 0-3.
It was a close game from start to finish, with both pitching staffs doing a good job of limiting the opposing offenses. Cougar ace Brett Miller was back on his game after a rough last outing, throwing six innings of two-hit ball. He struck out a career-high 8 batters.
Meanwhile, San Diego Christian starter Ranulfo Grijalva was solid as well, and the game stayed scoreless for the first four innings.
Finally, CSUSM broke through in the fifth, taking a 3-0 lead. Mike Pena drew a walk, and with two outs, Matt Jenkins continued his hot hitting with a big RBI double. That brought up Ricardo Moran, who gave his team some breathing room with a two-run homer, his first of the season.
But San Diego Christian would tie it back up with one swing of the bat in the seventh, as Luis Perez hit a three-run homer with no outs to chase Miller from the game.
The Cougar bullpen would hold strong, however. Relievers Auggie Richardson and Ricky Chavarria combined to get through the seventh, and after Silvett doubled in Omar Manzanarez in the eighth, Spencer Pardon and Mitch Ferguon would each throw scoreless, hitless innings to secure the 4-3 victory.
These teams will meet again tomorrow at Poway High School at 2:00 PM.
