SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos baseball team sent head coach Dennis Pugh and the eight Cougar seniors out in style with an 8-2 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) victory over visiting UC San Diego on Sunday afternoon at CSUSM Baseball Field.
 
Pugh will be retiring at the conclusion of the academic year after starting the CSUSM baseball program 10 years ago. He leaves with a 283-183-2 (.607) collegiate coaching record.

"It was a great way to end the year," Pugh said. "Today, we played the best we have all year."
 
CSUSM ends its season with a 23-25 overall record and a 15-21 mark in its first CCAA campaign. With the win, the Cougars split the series with the Tritons. UCSD will enter the CCAA Baseball Tournament next week with a 30-19 overall and a 20-17 conference record.
 
The Cougars scored the day's first run on sophomore Austin Ott's two-out RBI single to center after senior L.A. Gamo had singled to lead off and then moved to second on a groundout.
 
CSUSM senior starter Manny Barragan's only blemish of the game came in the second inning. After giving up lead off walk, Barragan gave up back-to-back singles to load the bases. Gradeigh Sanchez pulled a two-run single through the right side to put UCSD on top, 2-1.   
 
The lead was short lived as CSUSM answered with two runs of its own. Senior Brandon Bentson hit a one-out single and senior Clinton Perez followed with a double to the left corner. Ott came up big again, recording two more RBIs on an opposite-field double into the gap in right center to give CSUSM a 3-2 lead.
 
The Cougars extended their lead in the bottom of the sixth to 4-2. Senior Jon Putnam drew a 4-0 walk, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Colin Dvorak and moved to third on a groundout. Junior Ross Lemmel singled through the right side to score Putnam.
 
CSUSM got four insurance runs in the eighth inning.  Dvorak led off with a single up the middle and moved 90 feet on sophomore Riley Manquen's sacrifice bunt. Lemmel drew a walk before Gamo crushed the ball to left center to plate Dvorak. Sophomore Tyler Place walked to load the bases. Bentson hit a 2-RBI single off the right center wall. Place scored the final run of the game after Perez reached on a UCSD error.
 
Barragan (5-5) retired the side three of the six innings he pitched including a five-pitch, three groundouts frame in the fourth. He struck out four batters and allowed only six hits in his final collegiate outing.
 
Senior Jordan Kunz picked up the save after tossing 2 2/3 shutout innings. He gave up just one hit while fanning three batters.
 
Bentson went 3-for-4 with two RBIs to lead the Cougars. Gamo, Perez and Ott each tallied two hits.
 
CSUSM baseball thanks seniors Brandon Bentson, Jon Putnam, Clinton Perez, Emilio Esquibel, Manny Barragan, Cameron MacKenzie, Jordan Kunz and L.A. Gamo for their years of service to the program.