The stands behind the home dugout were full at Poway High School Monday night, as Cougar baseball closed out its 2010 regular season with a rousing 6-5 victory over Azusa Pacific.

CSUSM closes out its most successful season to date with a 31-13-1 record.  Azusa is 17-28 with three games remaining.

Prior to the game, CSUSM honored its seniors playing the final home game of their careers:  Omar Manzanarez, Ricardo Moran, Chris Skaalen, Travis McCracken, Josh Miller, Mike Pena, McClinton Heil, and Eric Julienne.

And on the field, the Cougars, led by those seniors, did their family, friends, and fans proud with an excellent effort to earn a hard-fought win.

It started on the mound with McCracken, who was in full control for his six full innings of work.  He allowed six hits and three walks while striking out two, with the only blemish on his record being a two-run second inning.  He earned the win to finish the season 7-4.

At the plate, Kevin Silvett got things going early, drilling a two-run home run over the fence in left in the bottom of the first.

With the score 2-2 in the second, CSUSM would score the remainder of its runs in the bottom of the frame.  Steve Harris led off with a walk, and Pena smoked a single to center.  Manzanarez then drove home Harris with a base hit of his own, and Moran crushed a huge double to left-center, bringing home both runs.  Silvett then tallied his third RBI of the game with a base hit that scored Moran.

That would be the end of San Marcos' offense for the day, as Azusa sidearm reliever Scott Sakoda entered and allowed just two hits over the final seven innings.

That put the game in the hands of the CSUSM pitching staff, and they would come through.  Azusa got three runs in the seventh off Johnny Omahen, who hurt himself with a throwing error - but Omahen was able to strand the tying run on base and get out of the inning with a 6-5 lead.

Julienne then entered in the eighth, and with runners on second and third with two outs, struck out the inning's final batter to escape.  He stayed in to throw a hitless ninth, securing the big win and picking up his third save of the season.

CSUSM will begin play at the A.I.I. Conference Tournament in Jackson, Tennessee on May 5th.