SAN MARCOS, Calif. – After falling 11-7 in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, the Cal State San Marcos baseball team (8-8) made history in the second game with a walk-off 8-7 win against No. 1 Tampa (16-3) on Saturday at CSUSM Baseball Field.
 
GAME 1: CSUSM 7 - TAMPA 11
 
TOP PERFORMERS
Phoenix Sommay – 1-for-4 | 3 RBIs | 1 R | 1 2B
Ethan Rivera – 1-for-1 | 2 RBIs
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Tampa went up 1-0 in the top of the first with an RBI single to center by Edgardo Villegas.
• The Spartans brought two more runs home in the second as Jhoander Irigoyen scored on a wild pitch before an RBI single by Kevin Karstetter.
• A sacrifice fly to center by JD Urso in the top of the third put Tampa up 4-0.
• CSUSM knotted the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the third with a bases-clearing double by Phoenix Sommay and an RBI groundout by Hayden Tregidga.
• A solo shot by Urso in the top of the fifth gave the Spartans the lead once again at 5-4.
• Tampa posted a five-spot in the top of the seventh with a two-run homer by Villegas, a wild pitch that scored Mike Valdez and a two-run single by Karstetter to increase its lead to 10-4.
• The Spartans tacked on one more run in the top of the ninth as Jordan Williams drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 11-4.
• CSUSM tried to make a late run in the bottom of the ninth. With the bases loaded, Ethan Rivera hit a two-run single up the middle before Zavien Watson scored the game's final run on a balk to cut the deficit to 11-7. After a walk and pitching change, the Cougars flied out twice to end the game.

 
QUICK HITS

• Spartan starter CJ Williams (4-1) earned the win after striking out eight and allowing four earned runs on three hits and two walks in 6.0 innings.
• Cougar starter Jordan Townley (1-2) took the loss after allowing five earned runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out four in 5.0 innings.
• The win gave Tampa a 2-0 lead for the series.

 
 
GAME 2: CSUSM 8 – TAMPA 7 (8 Inn.)
 
TOP PERFORMERS
Phoenix Sommay – 1-for-4 | 2 RBIs | 2 R | 1 BB | 1 HR
Zavien Watson – 2-for-2 | 2 RBIs | 2 R | 1 HR | 1 2B
Cameron Mahaffy – 2-for-3 | 1 RBI | 1 R | 1 HR | 1 2B | 1 BB
Garrett Teunissen – 1-for-5 | 1 RBI
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• CSUSM burst out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second as Cameron Mahaffy hit a solo shot down the right field line for his fourth of the year before Zavien Watson hit a two-run homer to left center for his first homer as a Cougar.
• The Cougars went up 4-0 with a solo shot to left by Phoenix Sommay in the bottom of the fifth for his second of the season.
• Tampa broke up the shutout in the top of the sixth with an RBI single through the left side by Brayden Woodburn and an RBI fielder's choice by Nico Saladino to cut the deficit to 4-2.
• CSUSM plated three more runs in the bottom of the sixth. An RBI fielder's choice by Sommay scored Castaneda but an errant throw to first allowed Watson to score as well. After advancing to third on a wild pitch, Sommay scored on Tampa's fourth error of the game to give the Cougars a 7-2 lead.
• The Spartans did not go away without a fight in the top of the seventh as they scored five runs to even the game at 7-all after an RBI single by Joe Stella, a two-run homer by JD Urso, an error that scored Jake Turer and a sacrifice fly by AJ Graham.
• After not scoring in the bottom of the seventh and not allowing Tampa to score in the top of the eighth, CSUSM made history in the bottom of the eighth. With runners on first and second with one out, Teunissen delivered the knockout blow with an RBI single to right as Evan Scalley scored from second to hand the Cougars their first-ever win against NCAA Division II's No. 1 team.

 
QUICK HITS

• CSUSM reliever Russ Pettis (1-0) picked up the win after striking out two and allowing nothing in an inning of work.
• Tampa reliever Ethan Brown (1-1) was saddled with the loss after allowing an earned run on four walks and a hit while striking out two.
• This was CSUSM's fifth game in the NCAA Division II era against a No. 1 nationally ranked opponent and first victory.
• With one strikeout for the 171st of his career, Nolan Long inched his way closer to the program record of 173 set by Garrett Apker in 2022.
• Tampa saw its 10-game winning streak come to an end after beginning it on Feb. 16 against Quincy.
• To this point, CSUSM has scored 19 runs in the series – the most allowed by Tampa in any of its three-game series this season.

 
UP NEXT
CSUSM will go for the series split against Tampa in Monday's finale set for 2 p.m.