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Baseball Defeated by Chapman
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The Cal State San Marcos baseball squad closed out its inaugural season at Mission Bay High on Saturday, losing 8-2 to Chapman University. The Cougars finish up the season with an 18-23 record. Being the last game of the season, it was an "empty the bench" day for both teams. The Cougars used 7 pitchers and 17 position players over the course of the 9 inning game, while Chapman played as many position players but got by with just three pitchers. In the first, Cougar starter Ian Thompson struggled with his location early, walking the first batter and falling behind 2-0 on the second before serving up a long two-run homer. The next pitch was ripped into left for a double, and the next batter singled. Cougar shortstop Ricardo Moran prevented the runner from advancing to home by making a great diving stop on the single - but the run would score on a botched pickoff attempt, which would spell the end of Thompson's day. Reliever Chris Skaalen would escape the inning with no further damage. But he would run into trouble in the second, as a couple of seeing-eye singles and a walk would load the bases with one out. Reliever Eric Julienne was called on to put out the fire - and he did just that, striking out the next two hitters after long at-bats. At the plate, the Cougars had no trouble getting guys on base, but a stingy Chapman defense prevented most from scoring. They turned three double plays on the day, and made numerous nice plays to keep CSUSM off the board for the most part. The Cougars got both of their runs in the third inning. Ricardo Moran and Tristan Gale singled, and Scott Shapiro was hit by a pitch to load the bases. With two outs inthe inning, Austin Way stepped to the plate, and ripped a two-run single through the right side to make the game 5-2. That would be as close as they'd get, as Chapman would tack on some insurance runs in the 6th. A booming two-out two-run homer by Stuart Hyman made the game 8-2, which is where it would end. A bright spot for the Cougars was the late relief. Auggie Richardson, David Julio, and Scott Shapiro combined to hold Chapman scoreless over the final three innings. Of particular note is Shapiro, who was making his final appearance in Cougar blue. The senior transfer from Vanderbilt was both the Cougars' staff ace and most feared hitter throughout the season. He closes out the season with a 3-2 record and team-best 2.89 ERA over 53 innings pitched. He also led CSUSM with a .386 batting average and 12 home runs. A full season review will be posted in the next couple weeks. Thanks to everyone who supported Cougar baseball in this historic first season! |