SAN MARCOS, Calif. – Playing in unusual cold weather, the Cal State San Marcos baseball team collected a 9-7 victory over Bethesda in the final regular-season contest of 2015 at CSUSM Baseball Field.
 
Freshman Tyler Place was the only Cougar to have a multi-hit game, tallying a double and a triple while scoring twice.  Freshman Austin Ott recorded his second home run in eight days.  
 
After falling behind 4-0 in the top of the second, the Cougars scored three runs in the bottom and added another in the third to even it at 4-4. Junior Clinton Perez drew a leadoff walk in the second inning and scored on Place's triple to left center. Ott sent the 0-1 pitch over the left field wall for two more CSUSM runs. In the third inning, a sacrifice fly by Perez with the bases loaded knotted the game. 
 
The Flames got back on top with two runs in the top of the fourth on a bases loaded hit by pitch and a walk.
 
Ott and Vigo each drew walks to begin the bottom of the fourth. Junior L.A. Gamo attempted a sacrifice bunt but a Bethesda error put him on second while bringing two runs home to once again tie the game.  Junior Stefan Miladinovich singled through the left side and Gamo scored to give CSUSM its first lead of the game at 7-6.
 
The Cougars added to their lead in the fifth when Place doubled down the right line and scored on Vigo's double to right center.  An RBI single by pinch hitter John Swilley made it 9-6.
 
Bethesda scored one more run in the top of the eighth.
 
Junior Jordan Kunz (2-1) collected his second win of the week after 1.2 innings of work and senior Justin Hertzmann snagged his ninth save of the season.
 
The Cougars (32-14) will find out their seed for the Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) Conference Championships next week.  The tournament is hosted by Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville, Ga.