SAN MARCOS, Calif. – In a slugfest, the CSUSM baseball team powered its way to a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) series win with victories of 11-10 and 13-4 over Cal State East Bay on Sunday at CSUSM Baseball Field.
 
GAME 1: CSUSM 11 – CSUEB 10 (11)
 
TOP PERFORMERS
Austin Ott – 2-for-5 | 1 HR | 4 RBIs | 1 R | 1 2B | 1 BB
Grant Buck – 4-for-5 | 3 RBIs | 3 R | 1 HR | 1 2B | 1 BB
Joseph Bahna – 3-for-5 | 1 RBI | 1 R | 1 BB
Cabot Van Til – 2-for-6 | 1 3B | 2 R | 1 RBI
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• After CSUEB's Kyosuke Ushimaru delivered an RBI single in the top of the first, the Cougars' Buck hit a solo shot to straight center to tie the game at 1-1.
• Ushimaru then hit a grand slam down the right field line in the third inning to put the Pioneers up 5-1.
• The Cougars gained three runs back thanks to a two-RBI single by Buck to left center and an RBI single by Andrew Garcia to left.
• On the first pitch of his at-bat in the fifth, Ott hit a grand slam to center field to put the Cougars up 8-5.
• After Adam Tanoue put the Cougars up 9-5 with an RBI single up the middle in the bottom of the fifth, CSUEB's Joey Dice hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth to narrow the score to 9-6.
• The Pioneers slimmed the deficit once again in the top of the seventh as Adam Hollar reached on an RBI fielder's choice.
• An RBI triple by Van Til in the bottom of the eighth put the Cougars back up by three at 10-7.
• With two outs in the top of the ninth, the Pioneers' Omar Sanchez delivered a three-RBI double to knot the game at 10-all.
• With bases loaded in the bottom of the 11th, Bahna delivered a walk-off hit to center to give CSUSM the win.

 
QUICK HITS

• The Cougars improved to 6-3 (2-1 CCAA) while the Pioneers dropped to 4-4 (1-2 CCAA).
• Taylor Greene (2-1) picked up the win after throwing two innings with one strikeout while allowing just one hit.
• Ott's grand slam is his first of his collegiate career. 

 
GAME 2: CSUSM 13 – CSUEB 4
 
TOP PERFORMERS
Austin Ott – 4-for-4 | 3 RBIs | 3 R | 2 3B
Jake Rico – 2-for-3 | 2 HR | 5 RBIs | 2 R | 1 SF
Griffin Teisher – 2-for-3 | 2 RBIs | 1 BB
Joseph Bahna – 2-for-4 | 2 R | 1 RBI | 1 2B
Andrew Garcia – 2-for-4 | 2 R
Grant Buck – 2-for-4 | 2 R | 1 SB
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• In the first five innings of play, CSUSM jumped out to a 9-0 lead that was highlighted by two Ott triples and a two-run homer by Rico.
• CSUEB scored three runs in the top of the sixth off two RBI singles and a wild pitch.
• In the bottom of the sixth, Buck scored on a wild pitch before Ott drove in Garcia with an RBI single.
• Rico's second home run of the day capped off the Cougars' scoring as he delivered a two-run blast to left center.
• The Pioneers only got one run back on a sacrifice fly to right field by Omar Sanchez.

 
QUICK HITS

• CSUSM earned its first-ever series win against CSUEB and improved to 7-3 (3-1 CCAA) while the Pioneers dropped to 4-5 (1-3 CCAA).
• John Stevens (1-0) earned the win for the Cougars as he struck out three and allowed three runs on eight hits in 5.2 innings.
• Ott is just the seventh Cougar in program history to tally two triples in a game.
• For the series, CSUSM outhit CSUEB 61-38 while racking up 19 extra-base hits to the Pioneers' 11.

 

.@CSUSMBaseball Head Coach Matt Guiliano talks about the Cougars' series win over Cal State East Bay. #BleedBlue4Decade2 #goCCAA #ncaaD2 pic.twitter.com/NDkOyGVKZf

— CSUSM Athletics (@CSUSMcougars) February 18, 2019

 
UP NEXT
CSUSM will go on the road to face Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday and Saturday before coming home to play a doubleheader against the Toros on Sunday.