SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos baseball team produced a pair of late-inning heroics to score a doubleheader sweep over Sonoma State in a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) twinbill Saturday afternoon at CSUSM Baseball Field.
 
The Cougars improve to 19-18 overall and 11-14 in conference action. The Seawolves fall to 13-20 on the season and 11-11 in CCAA play.
 
Junior Colin Dvoak went 3-for-5 with three runs on the day. Senior Clinton Perez drove in five runs after going 3-for-7. Seniors Jon Putnam and Brandon Bentson each registered four hits in the twinbill.
 
Junior Hayden Weir collected his third save of the season in the first game before earning the nightcap win to improve to 6-2 on the year.
 
CSUSM will go for its second sweep of the season when the Cougars face the Seawolves in the series finale at 11 a.m. on Sunday, April 17.
 
Game 1: CSUSM 9 – SSU 7
The Seawolves scored in the opening frame and would spread out their seven runs over seven of the nine innings.
 
Down 4-0, the Cougars put together a five-run fifth inning to take their first lead of the game. Dvorak was pinged in the back to begin the frame and beat out a throw to reach second on senior L.A. Gamo's fielder's choice. Sophomore Tyler Place laid down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position. Perez drove the ball up the middle for a 2-RBI single and Bentson followed with a single through the right side.  With a little help of the wind, sophomore Austin Ott knocked out his first home run of the season to put CSUSM up 5-4.
 
Their lead was short lived as SSU tallied a run in each of the next four innings to go up 7-5. Grant St. Martin and Adam Manzer homered in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively.
 
In the eighth, Place drew a full-count walk before Perez sent the ball over the right center wall for his fifth home run of the season to even the game at 7-7.  After Bentson reached on a SSU error, Putnam crushed the ball over the opposite wall for his first homer of 2016 and gave CSUSM a 9-7 lead.
 
Sophomore Alex Wall collected the win after 1 2/3 innings on the mound and Weir earned the save after retiring the side in the ninth.
 
SSU's Jackson Zarubin suffered the loss after giving up both home runs in the eighth inning.
 
Game 2: CSUSM 7 – SSU 5
 The Seawolves once again took an early lead, scoring two runs on three hits and walk in the first frame.
 
The Cougars cut SSU's lead in half with a run in the bottom of the first. Bentson hit a two-out RBI double to right center after Place was rewarded first on a walk.
 
CSUSM went up 4-2 in the second inning after stringing together three runs. Ott drew a walk and moved 90 feet on junior Hudson Bilodeau's sac bunt.  Junior Ross Lemmel took the first pitch he faced to right center for a RBI double. Lemmel advanced to third on a wild pitch. Dvorak's walk put runners on the corners for CSUSM. Gamo laid down a safety squeeze to plate Lemmel and Dvorak scored on a Perez single through the right side.
 
The Seawolves evened the game at 4-4 in the top of the fourth on two hits and three walks.
 
SSU once again took the lead in the sixth inning. Ricky Cid hit a leadoff single up the middle and moved to third on Jared English's single through the right side. Cid scored after Rayson Romero hit into a fielder's choice.
 
After Dvorak and Place singled in the seventh, Perez drew a walk to load the bases with one out. Bentson chopped a single through the right side to even the game at 5-5. Ott and Bilodeau recorded back-to-back bases-loaded walks to put CSUSM up 7-5.
 
CSUSM starter Emilio Esquibel tossed his sixth no-decision of the season, going 3 2/3 innings. He struck out five, walked five and gave up four runs with three of them earned. Weir earned the win after throwing 5 1/3 innings, giving up one run on four hits and striking out seven batters.
 
SSU's DeVon Golden took the loss after 4 2/3 innings and relinquishing three runs on four hits.