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Cougar Baseball Roars Into
Win Column; Upsets #20 Point Loma |
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It took a couple weeks, but Coach Dennis Pugh's baseball squad tallied the first win in program history on Thursday - and it was a big one. Playing their second game in as many days, Pugh's Cougars took down #20 Point Loma Nazarene by a score of 11-8. CSUSM's record in its inaugural season is now 1-7; but that "1" sure looks good right now. The squad, which has played decidedly better on the road so far, put together a solid effort from the pitching staff with some very good hitting to pull the upset. The win started on the mound, with Cougar righty Jeff Stephenson shutting down the Sea Lions' lineup. The freshman pitched 3.2 innings of shutout ball, striking out two hitters while allowing just three hits. He picked up the win, while Point Loma starter Johnnie Lowe took the loss. CSUSM got on the board in the second inning, thanks to an Adam Ricciardulli solo home run over the left field fence. The score would remain 1-0 until the 5th, where the Cougars padded the lead in a big way. After an Ian Chatfield walk, speedy pinch runner Jason Hinton would make his way around the bases and score on a Charles Baird single. A walk and hit-by-pitch loaded the bases, and second baseman Austin Way stepped to the plate. In the biggest at-bat of his brief Cougar career, the junior transfer from Mt. San Jacinto delivered, blasting a grand slam to right-center field. When the dust settled, the Cougars held a commanding 6-0 lead. But the Sea Lions would bounce back quickly. Kaohi Downing singled in the team's first run in the bottom of the fifth, and Andy Reilly and Kevin Campbell notched RBI's in the 6th to close the gap to 6-3. The Cougars had an answer. Scott Shapiro got the 7th started with a single to center, and walks to Way and Ricciardulli would once again load the bases - and once again, CSUSM cashed in. An error by the Sea Lions allowed Shapiro to score, a balk allowed Way to score, and two more runs would come in on a Ricardo Moran single. Some quality relief work by Lance McCormick preserved the Cougars' 10-3 lead through the 7th, and CSUSM would add its final run in the 8th when Terry Moritz scored on a Way double. The Sea Lions rallied to score 4 in the bottom of the 8th, but Russell Zabel was able to pitch his way out of the inning. Shapiro came in to pitch the 9th, and though one run crossed the plate, he was able to secure the historic victory for Cougar baseball. The Cougars travel up I-5 a bit Saturday and will play at Cal State Dominguez Hills. |