SAN MARCOS, Calif. – Senior Denny Vigo's two-out RBI double in the seventh inning pushed the Cal State San Marcos Cougars past the Vanguard Lions, 8-7, Tuesday afternoon at CSUSM Baseball Field.
 
With the contest tied 7-7, senior Ray Patchen singled through the left side.  Pinch runner Noah Buchanan stole second and advanced to third after the Vanguard catcher's throw bounced into center field.  On a 2-out full-count pitch, Vigo crushed the ball off the left field wall to plate Buchanan and put CSUSM back in the lead.
 
With the victory, the Cougars improved to 3-4 on the season.  The Lions fall to 9-5.
 
Freshman Elliott Stepanof (1-2) collected the win after 3.1 shutout innings, giving up three hits and walking one.  With the tying run on second base, senior Justin Hertzmann fanned the final Vanguard batter to earn his second save of the season.
 
The Cougars jumped out to a 7-0 lead in just two innings of play. After back-to-back walks to begin the game, junior Brandon Bentson singled through the right side to load the bases.  Patchen reached first on a fielder's choice after Vanguard starter Michael Jordan's throw home went awry and leadoff batter L.A. Gamo was called safe at home.  A ground out by junior Stefan Miladinovich and senior Dylan Costello's single through the left side put two more runs on the board for the Cougars. CSUSM's four runs in the second inning were scored on six hits including doubles by Patchen and Vigo.  
 
The Lions roared in the top of the third inning with five runs that were by a 3 RBI double by Brett Collins. Vanguard knotted the game at 7-7 in the fifth on David Stone's RBI double down the left line after scoring the first run of the inning on a CSUSM error.
 
Vigo recorded a pair of doubles on the day to improve his team-leading batting average to .625.
 
The Cougars host No. 2 Lewis-Clark State College on Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 1 p.m.