Box Score SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The No. 16 Cal State San Marcos baseball team saw its three-run lead turn into a 7-5 deficit, but the Cougars clawed back with four runs in the seventh inning on their way to a 9-7 win over No. 22 San Diego Christian on Tuesday afternoon at CSUSM Baseball Field.

Matt Arlington's solo homerun and a two-out, RBI double by Dylan Costello saw CSUSM (6-8) take a 4-1 advantage in the fourth inning, but the Hawks slowly chipped away before a four-run sixth inning handed SDCC (16-5) a two-run lead.

However, the Cougars had an answer for the Hawks in the bottom half of the seventh. Brandon Bentson led off with a single, Rich Montanez was hit by a pitch and Denny Vigo laced a base hit up the middle to load the bases with no outs.

Arlington followed with his third hit of the day to send in Bentson and pull the Cougars within 7-6. SDCC switched pitchers, but Kyle Hansen's slow roller to the right side brought home pinch-runner Noah Buchanan to tie it back up at 7-7.

Terrence Buchanan handed the lead back to the Cougars with a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Vigo.

Tyler Bernard added some insurance with a base hit up the middle that scored Arlington to make it 9-7.

Kevin Hilton (2-1) started his day out by surrendering a two-run homerun from Taylor Eichorst that gave SDCC its 7-5 lead in the top of the sixth, but the senior right-hander did well to steady the ship the rest of the way.

He forced Chad Erickson to strike out with a pair of runners aboard in the top of the seventh inning, keeping the deficit at two. After the Cougars retook the lead, Hilton made an incredible stab to start a double play that killed any chance for a rally in the Hawks' half of the eighth.

In the ninth, an error and a walk put runners on first and second with one out, but once again, Hilton got out of it. Jake Rogers hit a sharp grounder to Ray Patchen at the hot corner, Patchen fired it over to the second baseman Buchanan, and Buchanan flipped it over to the first baseman Bentson for the game-ending, 5-4-3 double play.

The Cougars have won three games in a row and have been forced to come back in each of their last two wins. CSUSM scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning in its 6-5, seven-inning victory over Biola in game two on February 15.

The victory also snaps CSUSM's six-game losing streak to SDCC.

Arlington was 3-for-4 with three runs and a pair of RBI. Patchen was 3-for-5, while Bernard and Costello were each 2-for-5. The top three batters in the Cougar order went a combined 7-for-15 (.467)
 
The Hawks put one on the board in their first at-bat. The Cougars responded right away, loading the bases with one out before Montanez drove in Dylan Costello with a sacrifice fly to center. Denny Vigo then sent a deep line drive to left center that would have brought in two more, but Cade Gotta made a lunging stab at the wall to end the threat and keep the score 1-1.

Vigo's two-out single to right field drove in Patchen to make it 2-1 in the bottom of the third. Noah Buchanan also tried to score from first on the play, but he was gunned out at the dish on a nice relay throw by the Hawks.

In the fourth, Arlington hit a towering shot that carried over the left-center field wall to make it 3-1. The blast marked his first as a Cougar.

Bernard doubled with two-out in the same frame. Costello followed with a single to shallow left. The left fielder attempted to make a play on the ball, but his dive was well short; the ball careened into foul territory which allowed Bernard to score and make it 4-1.

CSUSM will host La Sierra in a four-game series this weekend. The first two games will take place on Friday starting at 11:00 a.m. The teams will then play a doubleheader on Sunday starting at 11:00 a.m.

Inclement weather is in the forecast for this weekend. Stay posted on CSUSMcougars.com for any last-minute announcements regarding the status of this weekend's games.