Box Score SAN MARCOS, Calif. – Kody Sepulveda and Brandon Bentson connected with the first homeruns of their respective Cougar careers as the Cal State San Marcos baseball team topped La Sierra 8-1 in Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) competition at CSUSM Baseball Field on Friday afternoon.

Bentson led off the second inning with a shot to right field and was followed by Adam Tapia's RBI single to make it 2-0. Sepulveda followed suit, sending a line drive over the left field wall for a two-run homer.

Bentson finished the day 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI and runs, just a triple short of the cycle. Sepulveda went 1-for-3 with three RBI.

CSUSM (9-0, 1-0) racked up 11 hits in the contest, a new season high.

Starter Steve Messner (1-0) contributed six solid innings, allowing just one hit while striking out eight batters. He fanned five of the first six LSU (0-11, 0-1) batters he faced.

Bentson added a RBI single to center to score Kyle Secciani to put the Cougars up five in the third inning.

Secciani passed it on in the fourth, knocking home Tyler Bernard with a base hit up the middle to make it 6-0.

In the fifth, Marcus Meraz added sacrifice fly before the Cougars were granted their final run when it escaped the LSU catcher on a third strike. Kyle Kuck trotted home to make it 8-0.

Luis Holguin scored Joe Mascarenaz with a RBI single in the top of the eighth for the Golden Eagles' only run.
Tapia finished 2-for-3 with a RBI and run scored.

LSU and CSUSM return to CSUSM Baseball Field on Sunday for a doubleheader starting at 11:00 a.m.