The Cougars baseball team battled with Cal State LA this past weekend for their final games of the 2017 season.  Four games were played, as both teams played host to two a piece.

The series did not go as well as the Cougars wanted as they lost the first three games by the scores of 12-13, 4-9 and 3-16.  The Cougars, however, pulled out a victory on senior day by the score of 2-1.

Game one, hosted in Los Angeles, CA, featured a high scoring offensive attack by both teams as the Cougars watched a 10-4 lead get erased in the final inning of the game only to lose in the 12th inning by the score of 12-13.  Catcher Isaias Torres led CSUSM offensively going 3-7 with two home runs, including a grand slam and six runs batted in (RBI).

Torres took the lead two times for the Cougars as his grand slam home run in the fifth gave them a 6-1 lead.  Following a seven run seventh inning collapse by the Cougars, Torres in the bottom of the eighth crushed his second homerun over the left field wall to give his team a 12-11 lead in the top of the eighth.  Unfortunately, the one run lead wasn’t enough, and the Cougars went down off a walk off single in the 12th inning.

In game two, the Eagles played host once again defeating the Cougars by the score of 4-9.  Torres led the Cougars once again at the plate, as he was able to go 3-4 with an RBI on the day.  Cougar John Hunt picked up the loss as he pitched five innings and allowed five runs (four earned).

After the back-to-back road games, the Cougars traveled back home on May 6 to finish the series and the 2017 campaign.  Seniors, Taylor Ahearn, Ross Lemmel, Riley Manquen and Hayden Weir were honored prior to the game to celebrate senior day.

“It was nice to be a leader finally after all these years of being the younger guy so it was cool,” said Weir.

The Cougars struggled as they battled the Eagles, but also the rain.  Several rain delays stopped the Cougars momentum as they lost the game by the final score of 16-3.

Ahearn took the mound in game four and for the final time of the season.  He threw his fourth complete game of the season while recording five strikeouts and one earned run.

“This team welcomed me with open arms and helped develop me into a better baseball player and a better person so I appreciate everyone for doing that,” said Ahearn.

The Cougars struck first as Isaias Torres went yard again off the first pitch he saw in the second inning giving CSUSM  a 1-0 lead.  With the homerun, Torres increased his home run total to three in the series and four in the year.

Later in the fourth inning, the Cougars tacked on one more from a sacrifice bunt from the bat of infielder Dominic Antonacci scoring in fellow infielder Nico Maida.  The two run lead was all CSUSM needed to get the win on senior night beating the Eagles by the score of 2-1.

“We’re going to miss all the guys and they’ve been a huge part to the program, I only knew them for a year, but we got close and we’re going to miss them,” said Guiliano.

CSUSM men’s baseball team finished its season with an overall record of 17-33 and a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) record of 7-31.