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A trip to Scottsdale proved to be just what the doctor ordered for Cougar baseball, as the squad completed a four-game sweep of Arizona Christian on Saturday, winning game one 6-1 and game two 11-1.
CSUSM is now 24-16 on the year, looking in much better shape than prior to the weekend when the squad had lost 4 of 6.
As was the case on Friday, both the Cougar lineup and pitching staff turned in great efforts on Saturday to secure the relatively comfortable wins.
Game one belonged to senior starting pitcher Johnny Holtman, who tossed a 7-inning complete game, allowing just one unearned run to improve to 4-2 on the season. Holtman, who has made a habit this season of working his way out of tight spots, worked around 7 hits and 3 errors by his defense to complete the gem. He struck out 3 batters and walked just 1.
At the plate, the Cougars jumped out to a 2-0 lead, with Austin Coleman driving in Kyle Secciani and Kevin Silvett scoring on an error in the first.
With the score 2-1 in the fifth inning, the lineup chipped away to give Holtman more of a cushion. Trent Jemmett doubled and came home on a Silvett single to make it 3-1 in the fifth; Mike Mecucci's base hit drove in Anthony Renteria to make it 4-1 in the sixth; and Jemmett and Greg Vrooman scored runs in the seventh, pushing the lead to 6-1. In the final frame, Omahen and Jemmett combined to turn a 6-4-3 double-play in support of Holtman, who closed things out on his own.
With the sweep in their sights, the Cougars continued the momentum in the day's second game. This time it was Matt Kretchmer doing the honors on the mound, throwing five strong innings of two-hit ball, allowing just 1 run. He struck out 3 and walked 3, improving to 4-1 on the year.
Meanwhile, the Cougar lineup put the game out of reach early, scoring 4 in the second, 2 in the third, 2 in the fourth, and 3 in the fifth to take an 11-1 lead. For the game, the Cougars scored their 11 runs on 11 hits, of which only one went for extra bases - an Austin Coleman double with two outs and the bases empty in the seventh. Instead, CSUSM relied on it speed (stealing three bases) and its patience (drawing 4 walks) to help produce runs, and Coach Dennis Pugh's team did a very nice job of capitalizing on early opportunities.
Mecucci had a great day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with 2 RBI. Catcher Marco Arellano was 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI, and Jemmett and Jeremy Baum scored a pair of runs each.
Reliever Richard Martin finished the game in impressive fashion, pitching the final two innings and allowing just 1 hit while striking out 1.
CSUSM will begin their final home stretch of the season on Tuesday when they take on Master's at 1:30 PM on CSUSM Baseball Field.
