SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos baseball team rallied in the ninth to force extra innings in the doubleheader opener, but eventually dropped an 18-10 decision in 10 innings to visiting Cal State East Bay in a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) matchup on Saturday at CSUSM Baseball Field. The Cougars hold a 13-4 lead over the Pioneers after seven innings of the nightcap, but darkness prevailed and the game was halted. The game will resume on Sunday at 11 a.m. and there will be a short break before the series finale begins.
 
The Cougars fall to 11-9 overall and 1-7 in conference action. The Pioneers improve to 13-6 and 4-3 in CCAA play.
 
GAME 1: CSUEB 18 – CSUSM 10
Trailing 8-5 in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded, junior designated hitter Andy Garretson hit a bases-clearing double down the left line to force the game into extra innings.
 
The Pioneers quickly regained the lead by scoring 10 runs on five hits, four hit batters and three walks in the top of the 10th. CSUSM could only muster two runs in the bottom of the frame. 
 
Junior outfielder Colin Dvorak went 3-for-5 with two runs. Freshman Kevin Britt, who came off the bench to play first base, went 2-for-3 with a double and a run.
 
The Cougars went through eight pitchers in the 10 innings with junior Brady Smith eventually charged the loss after relinquishing four runs in 1.1 innings.
 
CSUSM found itself trailing 6-0 after the first two innings. The Pioneers made it a 7-1 ballgame in the top of the fourth after Matt Cantelme knocked a two-out RBI single up the middle. In the bottom of the frame, Garretson reached first on catcher's interference and later scored on a groundout by sophomore first baseman Domenic Antonacci.
 
The Cougars posted three runs in the fifth to close the gap to 7-4.  Junior second baseman Riley Manquen drew a leadoff walk and advanced to third on an East Bay error when freshman outfielder Griffin Teisher put the ball in play. Junior shortstop Tyler Place's double to left field pushed Manquen across the plate. CSUSM's final two runs in the fifth came on freshman third baseman Anthony Rodriguez's groundout and a sacrifice fly by Garretson.
 
Dvorak began the bottom of the sixth with a single up the middle and moved to third on Britt's double to right center. Freshman outfielder Reed LaBar's sac fly scored Dvorak and made it two-run ball game at 7-5.
 
The Pioneers scored another run in the top of the ninth on a single by Kris Bartlett to make it 8-5.
 
CSUEB's Andrew Fernandez (2-0) collected the win despite giving up three runs on two hits in one inning.
 
GAME 2: CSUSM 14 – CSUEB 10 
In the first four frames, the Cougars spread out nine runs to take a 9-0 lead in the doubleheader nightcap against the Pioneers.
 
CSUSM knocked in four runs on three hits and two errors in the opening frame, highlighted by sophomore catcher Isaias Torres' double down the left line.
 
The Cougars extended their lead in the second inning. Place crushed a two-out double off the center field wall and later scored on a fielding error. Garretson and Torres, who reached base on a hit by pitch and the error, respectively, scored on another CSUEB error after each registered a stolen base.
 
Junior second baseman Nico Maida's RBI bunt and a 2-RBI double by Place added three more runs to CSUSM's lead in the third inning.
 
Torres led off the fourth with a double once again down the left line and scored on Britt's single to left field, giving the Cougars a 9-0 lead.
 
The Pioneers got on the board in the top of the fifth, scoring two runs on Nick Steele's single to center and a sac fly by Marcus Wise.
 
The Cougars responded with three runs on three hits and a CSUEB error in the bottom of the frame. Teisher drew a leadoff walk and advanced to third base on Place's third double of the game. Garretson hit a strategically placed 2-RBI single through the left side. CSUSM's final run of the inning came on a Britt sac fly to make it 13-2.
 
CSUEB doubled its run total in the top of the sixth after producing three hits.
 
Neither team scored in the next one and half innings before the game was stopped due to darkness.

On Sunday when play resumed, the Pioneers posted five runs in the top of the eighth but CSUSM was able to get one insurance run in the bottom of the frame and held on to a 14-9 win. 
 
Senior Taylor Ahearn improved to 4-2 on the season after going 5.1 innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on seven hits.