|
Box Score
Back on February 12th, Cougar baseball traveled to
Biola and got pounded by the Eagles 17-5. When the teams met on
Tuesday at Mission Bay High, CSUSM put forth a much better effort –
but couldn’t quite pull out the win, falling 5-3.
The loss snaps CSUSM’s nine-game winning streak, and deals a big
blow to the squad’s playoff hopes. They are now 19-15 on the year.
Cougar ace Jared Suwyn got the call on the mound. Suwyn has been
excellent this season, but limited in the second half by injuries.
He looked a little rusty in the first, allowing two one-out single,
but his defense bailed him out. First, slick-fielding shortstop
Johnny Omahen made a nice play on a chopper to record the second
out; then centerfielder Tristan Gale topped that with an amazing
full-extension diving catch on a ball headed for the gap.
Suwyn was back to his usual self in the second, using his power
slider to record three groundouts. In the bottom of the inning, Gale
wasted no time in giving the Cougars a lead, going with a
first-pitch outside fastball and driving it over the fence in right
for his tenth homer of the season.
Biola tied it up the following inning. After a leadoff single, CSUSM
sniffed out a hit-and-run, but the catcher’s throw sailed into
center. The run eventually scored on a groundout.
Things got chippy in the fifth, when with runners on first and
second, the Biola batter hit a chopper to third. Austin Coleman
tagged out the runner, and threw the ball back to Suwyn on the
mound. But apparently time was not called, and with nobody covering
third the runners took off. Suwyn’s throw to third was wild,
allowing the run to score. The next batter doubled to make it 3-1.
In the bottom of the inning, Jackson Chapelone and Dane Ponciano led
off with singles, and Austin Coleman advanced them with a sacrifice
bunt. But CSUSM couldn’t come up with a clutch hit, and Albert
escaped with no damage.
It was the same story in the fifth, where Louie Russo led off with a
double for the Cougars, only to be left stranded by the heart of the
lineup.
With the Cougar offense struggling with runners in scoring position,
Biola extended the lead in the seventh on a Hawkins Gebbers solo
home run. Suwyn gave way to David Julio with two outs in the inning,
after turning in a very gutty performance. He allowed four runs (two
earned) in his 6 2/3 innings, walking two and striking out one.
Chapelone revived the Cougar offense with one swing in the seventh,
crushing a leadoff homer to left-center to make it 4-2. Dane
Ponciano followed that up with a bomb of his own to right-center,
closing the gap to 4-3.
Julio battled through some early control problems, and Ponciano
gunned down a potential base stealer to get out of the eighth with
no damage. But he was greeted with a Nick Rotkowitz solo shot in the
ninth, though reliever Eric Julienne prevented any further damage.
That set the stage for an epic ninth inning comeback. Down 5-3
entering the inning, the Cougar lineup went to work with one out.
Chapelone drew a walk, and Ponciano and Austin Coleman lined base
hits to load the bases. But closer Tim Nolan struck out Omahen, and
induced a Ricardo Moran fly-out to close out the game.
Cougar baseball has just three games left in its season: This Friday
at San Bernardino, this Saturday hosting San Bernardino (noon
double-header – Escondido High), and the 30th at San Diego
Christian.
|
