SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos baseball team recorded a doubleheader sweep on Sunday to win the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) series against Cal State L.A. The final scores were 9-3 and 6-2.
 
For the day, the Cougars (19-23, 14-22) racked up 17 hits while the CSUSM pitching staff held the Golden Eagles to just six hits.
 
CSUSM junior starting pitchers Brandon Bachman (4-4) and Brennan Piceno each picked up wins. Bachman went six innings in the twinbill opener, rack up three strikeouts and allowed three runs (one earned) on two hits. In the nightcap, Piceno allowed one run on three hits in his 4.1 innings of work.
 
Senior Tyler Place tallied three hits that included a double and a home run while being walked three times. Junior Austin Ott recorded two triples and a double while classmate Domenic Antonacci went 3-for-4 on the day.
 
The Cougars begin their four-game series against Cal State San Bernardino next Friday at 3 p.m. at the CSUSM Baseball Field.
 
GAME 1: CSUSM 9 – CSULA 3
The Golden Eagles struck first on Sean Watkins 2-RBI double in the third inning.
 
CSUSM evened the game in the bottom of the fourth. Senior Aidan Stinnett drew a four-pitch walk to begin the inning and advanced to third on Ott's hard line double to right center. A sacrifice fly by junior Isaias Torres scored Stinnett. Junior Näshéa Diggs followed with a RBI single that was a straight shot up the middle to make it 2-2.
 
Ott led off the sixth stretching a double into a triple on a liner over the CSULA shortstop. Torres walked to put runners on the corners. Sophomore Griffin Teisher laid a bunt single down the third base line to score Ott. After both runners advanced on a wild pitch, freshman Michael Lopez hit a 2-RBI blooper up the middle to give CSUSM a 5-2 lead.
 
CSULA's Spenser Sundahl connected on a sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh to cut CSUSM's lead to 5-3.
 
The Cougars answered with a pair of runs in both the seventh and eighth innings that included Stinnett two-run homer.
 
GAME 2: CSUSM 6 – CSULA 2
With two outs in the bottom of the first, Ott hit his second triple of the day to score Stinnett who reached on a walk. Ott then scored on a CSULA error to put CSUSM up 2-0 in the opening frame.
 
CSUSM doubled its lead in the fourth inning. Junior Ruben Valdez and Place drew back-to-back two-out walks. Junior Cabot Van Til crushed a 2-RBI stand-up triple that bounced out of the diving CSULA right fielder's glove.
 
CSULA put up a run in both the fifth and sixth innings.
 
The Cougars got insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth when Place blasted a two-run homer over the right center wall.