Kyle Secciani's two home runs and four RBI keyed the biggest comeback in CSUSM baseball history at Poway High on Saturday, as the Cougars shocked Cal State San Bernardino with an 11-9 victory.

CSUSM improves to 19-9-1 this season.  CSUSB is 16-10.

Down 8-0 after a sixth inning in which they committed four errors and allowed all eight runs to score and facing an NCAA Division II opponent that defeated them 15-3 yesterday, the Cougars appeared all but out of Saturday's contest.

But this team, if nothing else, is resilient.  Fans saw it earlier this season when the Cougars stole the final game of a three-game series at Cal Baptist, and they saw it again today.

Though starting pitcher Brett Miller was out of the game when the fireworks took place, he still put his team in a position to make the comeback.  The righty, making his first start in a few weeks, was back in fine form, tossing five shutout innings against a powerful offense.  Miller scattered five hits, walking one and striking out two.

But once Miller left, things immediately got dire for the Cougars, as San Bernardino took advantage of the bullpen and defense to turn a scoreless tie into an 8-0 game. 

The comeback began immediately.  Secciani started it with a one-out solo home run in the bottom of the sixth, and singles by Kevin Silvett, Josh Miller, and Ryle Parks loaded the bases.  Johnny Omahen then had what may have been the at-bat of the game, fouling off numerous pitches and battling to earn a walk.  Patrick Gray then walked on four pitches, and though a double play ended the inning, CSUSM had cut the lead to 8-3.

After reliever Auggie Richardson threw a scoreless seventh, the offense went back to work.  Omar Manzanarez laced a leadoff single to center and quickly stole second and third.  Secciani then blasted his second home run in as many innings, making it 8-5.  Silvett and Miller then drew walks, and Parks smacked a base hit to left to load the bases again.  Suddenly, the tying run was on first base, and after Omahen beat out a potential double play and Miller scored on a passed ball, Mike Pena delivered the biggest hit of the game, a two-run double down the left field line.  Manzanarez then singled in Pena, and Secciani delivered yet another big hit, an RBI double to left to put the Cougars up 11-8.

From there, the game was put in the hands of closer Spencer Pardon, and he did the job.  A solo home run with one out in the ninth was all Pardon would allow in two innings of work, as he earned his fourth save of the season and closed out the wild win for the Cougars.

CSUSM baseball will be back in action on Tuesday for a double-header at The Master's College.