Box Score
SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos baseball team won its seventh consecutive game over a thin La Sierra squad, 9-1, on Tuesday afternoon at CSUSM Baseball Field.

Terrence Buchanan went 3-for-4, Brooks Noble had a pair of doubles and the CSUSM pitching staff held the Golden Eagles without a run for the first eight innings as the Cougars improved to 28-15 overall with two regular season games remaining.

Kyle Kuck (3-1) delivered three innings of solid work for the Cougars in his eighth start, retiring the first eight batters in order. He allowed one hit, struck out a pair and left after three frames as a part of the Cougars' plan to "staff" the ballgame.

A two-out RBI single by Matt Arlington opened the scoring for the Cougars in the second inning. Then, with Arlington on first and Dylan Costello on third, Arlington attempted to steal on Michael Zurita's first pitch to Tyler Bernard.

Instead of sliding into second, Arlington stopped before he got to the bag in order to get caught in a rundown. The ploy worked as Costello scored before a tag for the final out of the inning was applied to Arlington.  

The score remained 2-0 over the next two frames, as CSUSM left the bases loaded in the third before stranding Costello at second after a leadoff single and a stolen base in the fourth.

LSU (2-34) put runners on second and third with two out against Steven Schafer in the top of the fifth, but Schafer forced Jake Magness to groundout to Brandon Bentson at first base to get out of the frame.

CSUSM scored three in the bottom of the fifth to get some breathing room. Ray Patchen's check-swing infield hit scored Buchanan before Denny Vigo's sacrifice fly pushed Bentson across. Costello helped the Cougars add another by legging out an infield single which allowed Patchen to come across and make it 5-0.

LSU threatened again in the top of the seventh by putting runners on first and second with one out. However, reliever Addison Domingo stabbed Michael Gonzalez's sharp grounder before starting a 1-6-3 double play.

Noble came on as a reserve for Costello and promptly doubled down the left-field line. That put two runners aboard and fellow substitute Adam Tapia brought both of them home with a triple the opposite way to left-center.

Tapia scored on a sacrifice fly by Bernard. The Cougars' final run came when Bentson's deep fly ball was dropped by LSU centerfielder Daynan Hall at the warning track. Zach Tieger came in to make it 9-0.

The Golden Eagles pushed a run across on a one-out sacrifice fly by Brian Burgin in the top of the ninth.

Kuck has now gone three straight appearances without giving up a run. He's given up just two earned runs in his last 10 outings.

All seven of the Cougars' pitchers gave up exactly one hit. The staff combined for four strikeouts on the afternoon.

CSUSM will face Azusa Pacific in its final two contests of the regular season. APU will be in town on Thursday and Friday for single games. Both games start at 3:00 p.m.

Fans can watch the action live at ustream.tv/channel/csusmsports.