SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The day was highlighted by senior Brandon Bentson tying the Cal State San Marcos baseball team's career hit record and sophomore Tyler Place's first collegiate home run. The Cougars dropped both ends of Saturday's California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) doubleheader to Cal State San Bernardino, 8-6 and 11-5, at CSUSM Baseball Field.
 
Bentson's four hits on the day raised his career total to 226, putting him even with Austin Coleman (2008-12) in the CSUSM record books.  Senior Clinton Perez also knocked out four hits including his third home run of 2016.
 
Junior Taylor Ahearn (1-3) and senior Manny Barragan (2-2) recorded losses for CSUSM while CSUSB's Brian Conley and Noah Simon (1-0) collected the wins.
 
CSUSM falls to 10-10 overall and 2-6 in conference play while the Coyotes improve to 10-13, 5-6 in CCAA action.
 
The Cougars face Cal Poly Pomona in a four-game split series beginning with a single game on Friday, March 11 at CSUSM Baseball Field.  First pitch is slated for 2 p.m.
 
Game 1: CSUSB 8 – CSUSM 6
 
CSUSB pushed three runs across in the opening frame on two hits and three walks. The Coyotes added to their lead in the fourth on Brian Lockey's single to center field.
 
After five scoreless innings, the Cougars finally got on the board in the bottom of the eighth. Place hit a two-out single through the left side and later scored on sophomore Austin Ott's single up the middle.
 
The Coyotes responded with four runs on four hits and a CSUSM error in the top of the ninth.
 
Down 8-1, CSUSM refused to go away quietly. The inning got started with Perez's leadoff homer to right center, the deepest part of the field. Sophomore Jack Garcia drew a walk and advanced to second on classmate Jake Trybulski's single to the left field. Freshman Tyler Ankrom loaded the bases on a walk. Freshman Domenic Antonacci sent a sacrifice fly to right field to plate Garcia and Trybulski scored on Bentson's single up the middle. Ott's ground-rule double over the left center wall was CSUSM's last run of the game.
 
Game 2: CSUSB 11 – CSUSM 5
 
The Coyotes tallied all 11 runs in the first four frames with five runs coming off only three hits in the first three innings. CSUSB's six-runs in the fourth inning was highlighted by a two-run homer by Daniel Romo.
 
CSUSM's bats finally came alive in the bottom of the fourth.  With one out, juniors Colin Dvorak and Hudson Bilodeau drew back-to-back walks. Perez pushed them across the plate on a double to left field.  Place followed with a homer over the right field wall to make it 11-4.
 
Perez pushed another run across in the fifth on a single to right center field.