Box Score SAN MARCOS, Calif. – Brandon Bentson and Tyler Bernard went 3-for-4 and Marcus Meraz connected with a two-run single to break the game open in the fifth inning, as the Cal State San Marcos baseball team topped Ashford (Iowa), 8-2, on Thursday afternoon in Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) play at CSUSM Baseball Field.

Tied 1-1 heading into the fifth inning, Bernard led off with his second double of the day and CSUSM (13-1, 5-1 A.I.I.) was able to put runners on the corner with nobody out. Bentson drove in Bernard when AU's RJ Roberts went to second base for the force out.

Leading 2-1, Kody Sepulveda followed with a single before Manny Cardeiro moved the runners over with a grounder to the left side. Meraz cracked Steve Sotiropoulous' (1-1) first pitch off the left-field wall to bring home Kevin Hilton and Bentson to put CSUSM up 4-1.

Ashford (5-8, 2-3 A.I.I.) did its best to make a game of it, as the Saints cut the deficit to two on Michael Bruns' two-out RBI single.

CSUSM's Addison Domingo came on in relief of Matt Bataska with the winning run at the plate and got John Caravia to ground out to third to get the Cougars out of the inning up 4-2.

Justin Hertzmann came on in the top of the eighth for the Cougars to strike out Ryan Fraley before forcing Kyler Kopach into an inning-ending double play.

Then, CSUSM put the game out of reach.

Cardeiro and Meraz notched back-to-back singles before Dylan Costello moved them to the left side with a sacrifice bunt. Mike Guadagnini followed with a sacrifice fly to score the runner from third before Kyle Secciani doubled down the right-field line to bring in Meraz and make it 6-2.

Bernard was hit on the leg by Fraley's third pitch to put runners on first and second. Belzer brought Secciani home with a sharp single up the middle before Bentson scored Bernard with an RBI single through the right side to make it 8-2.

Bentson finished the day with three RBI, driving in Bernard on all three occasions.

Hertzmann (1) struck-out the side in the ninth inning to secure his first save of the season.

CSUSM starter Mike Scaramella (2-0) earned his second win, limiting the Saints to four hits and an earned run while striking out three.

Meraz kept the Saints off the board in the top of the third inning, gunning down pinch runner Danny Walczak at the plate after Caravia's single to right.

Bernard led off the bottom half of the third with a blooper over the first baseman's head, stretching the hit for a double when the right fielder took a lackadaisical approach to fielding the ball. He moved to third on a long pop out by Secciani before scoring on Bentson's single to center field.

Scaramella got into some trouble in the Saints' next at-bat, surrendering a single and double to lead off the inning. Kopach's sacrifice fly to center scored Damil Reyes to tie it at 1-1, but Scaramella did well to retire the next two batters and get out of the inning without any further damage done.

CSUSM hosts Sioux Falls (3-5) in a three-game set this weekend with a doubleheader on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. and a single game on Sunday at noon. Stay posted on CSUSMcougars.com for any schedule changes or updates with inclement weather on the horizon.