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An early 4-0 lead had fourth-seeded Cal State San Marcos thinking upset at the NAIA National Championship Opening Round, but top seed and host school Cal Baptist chipped away to take the game in the late innings, 8-7.
Fourth-seed CSUSM, who this morning defeated St. Thomas (FL), is now 33-18 on the year. Top seed and #3-ranked Cal Baptist moves to 42-14.
CSUSM handed the ball to fifth-year senior pitcher Johnny Holtman, giving the big righty his first post-season start after a couple of very effective relief appearances during the A.I.I. Tournament. With a 5-2 record and 3.05 ERA on the year, Holtman throws hard enough to keep batters honest, but loves to drop the hammer with a slow 12-to-6 curve ball.
Holtman stranded a Lancers' runner on third in the first inning, dodging a bullet after a ball down the line that looked fair was ruled foul.
Taking the mound for Cal Baptist was ace Taylor Siemens, who posted a 9-2 record and 2.93 ERA in 101.1 innings pitched this year. Cougar leadoff man Kyle Secciani greeted him rudely with a base hit in the first, and Trent Jemmett followed that up by slicing a 3-2 pitch into right field to put runners at the corners. Kevin Silvett took advantage, making just enough contact to bloop a ball over the second baseman and score Secciani. A wild pitch advanced the runners into scoring position, and Austin Coleman tacked on a sacrifice fly to put the Cougars up 2-0 early.
Cougar shortstop Johnny Omahen and second baseman Jemmett combined to turn a nifty double-play to help Holtman in the second, and Siemens settled down to retire CSUSM in order in the bottom of the inning. Jemmett's defense was once again on display in the third, making a diving catch on a line drive up the middle to start the inning, and ending it with a nifty backhand stab and throw.
Secciani led off the third by lining a base hit into center, and Jemmett wasted no time in crushing an RBI double into the gap in right-center. Silvett promptly traded places with him, drilling a double down the left field line past the outstretched glove of third baseman Kevin Odom. Silvett would controversially be thrown out at home to end the inning, but not before CSUSM had a 4-0 lead.
CBU had a quick response. Holtman allowed his first hit with one out in the fourth, and after a close call on a hit-by-pitch, looked visibly frustrated on the mound before Lancer first baseman Josh Manzano hit a sky-high home run to cut the lead to 4-3.
Cal Baptist's Erik Wallace took over on the mound and worked a perfect fourth, and Holtman got it back together to work an easy top of the fifth.
Secciani and Jemmett continued to cause problems, with both getting on base to lead off the fifth, but they would be left stranded by the middle of the Cougar lineup. That missed opportunity combined with the call on Silvett would prove very costly in the end. Holtman tossed an easy top of the sixth, helped out by another tidy double-play turned by Jemmett and Omahen.
With the Cougar offense silenced by Wallace, Cal Baptist tied the game in the top of the seventh. Drew Madrigal led off with a triple off the wall in right, and came in on a Cole Bullard sacrifice fly. Cal Baptist would go on to load the bases, but Holtman showed a lot of heart, inducing a Sharp groundout to escape the inning with the game tied 4-4.
After seven very solid, gutty innings by Holtman, he stayed on the mound for the eighth, hitting Odom to lead off. After a sacrifice bunt, Madrigal looped a ball into the outfield that left fielder Anthony Renteria dived for but missed by inches, allowing Odom to come home with the go-ahead run. That drove Holtman from the game, and reliever Kyle Smart allowed a two-run bomb to Sharif Othman that put the Cal Baptist up 7-4.
That closed the book on Holtman, who allowed 6 runs on 9 hits in 7 1/3 innings, walking 2 and striking out none to take the tough-luck loss. Cal Baptist would continue to take advantage against Smart and fellow reliever Andrew Larsen, ending the inning up 8-4.
The Cougars would not quit, however, finally breaking through off Wallace in the eighth. Coleman lined a one-out double to the gap in left-center, and Omahen took advantage of a balk call that negated a fly out to line an RBI single that cut it to 8-5. With two outs Anthony Renteria came to the plate, and he ripped a high line drive down the right field line that somehow stayed just inside the foul pole for his third home run of the season. Renteria's bomb cut the Cal Baptist lead to 8-7.
Larsen tossed a much-needed easy ninth, aided by another outstanding play by Jemmett up the middle and a great short-hop dig by Silvett at first. But it was not to be for the Cougars, as Madrigal took the mound to close the game for the Lancers in the ninth, striking out Ryle Parks and Secciani, and inducing a Jemmett fly out to close out CBU's 8-7 win.
CSUSM will play the winner of tomorrow morning's British Columbia/St. Thomas game at 3:00 PM in an elimination game tomorrow.
