CARSON, Calif. – In its series opener, the Cal State San Marcos baseball team used a ninth-inning rally to topple Cal State Dominguez Hills by a score of 9-8 in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) action on Friday afternoon at Toro Field.
 
TOP PERFORMERS
Austin Ott – 4-for-4 | 3 RBIs | 2 R | 2 SB | 1 2B
Grant Buck – 2-for-5 | 3 R | 1 RBI | 1 3B | 1 2B
Cabot Van Til – 2-for-5 | 2 R | 2 SB
Joseph Bahna – 2-for-5 | 1 RBI
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• CSUSM struck early with a two-run first inning as Buck tripled down the right field line to score Van Til before Ott hit a sacrifice fly to score Buck.
• The Toros cut the deficit to 2-1 in the bottom of the first with a solo homer to left by Pierson Loska.
• The Cougars went up by two once again in the top of the third. After Buck doubled and moved over to third on a single by Ott, he scored for the second time on an RBI ground out by Andrew Garcia.
• CSUDH took their first lead of the game in the third at 4-3 as Loska tallied his second home run of the day with a three-run jack to right center.
• With two outs and runners in scoring position in the top of the fourth, the Cougars scored four runs on a fielding error, a two-run double by Ott and an RBI single by Bahna to go up 7-4.
• The Toros tied the game at 7-all in the bottom of the fourth with three runs on four hits.
• CSUDH pulled ahead in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI single by Loska.
• Down to two outs in the top of the ninth, the Cougars scored a pair of runs on a pinch-hit RBI single by Domenic Antonacci and an RBI triple by Näshéa Diggs to go up 9-8.
• Garrett Apker came on in relief in the bottom of the ninth and earned his first save of the season.

 
QUICK HITS

• CSUSM improves to 8-3 (4-1 CCAA) while CSUSH drops to 1-5 (0-5 CCAA).
• This was the sixth game in which the Cougars tallied at least 10 hits this season and the fifth game in which they've scored at least nine runs.
• Ott tallied his second consecutive 4-for-4 game.
• John Stevens (2-0) earned the win for the Cougars as he threw three innings of relief while striking out one and allowing one run on four hits and a walk.
• CSUSM is now 4-0 in series openers this season.
• Diggs has now reached base in 10 consecutive games.
• Buck, Ott and Van Til each have six multi-hit games this season.

 
UP NEXT
The Cougars will continue the series against the Toros on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Carson. After Saturday's game, the series will conclude with a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. on Sunday in San Marcos.