SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – In a game not for the faint of heart, the Cougars fell 10-9 to Cal State San Bernardino in game three of the NCAA Division II West Regional at Fiscalini Field.  Both teams came from behind in the ninth inning to produce a wild finish to the first of potentially three games between the two sides.

How It Happened:  For a long time, it looked like the story of the game was going to be the Cougars' number nine hitter, center fielder Cade Marshman.  The junior provided the Cougars with their first hit of the game, a solo homer to left in the top of the third to put Azusa Pacific ahead 1-0.  The score would remain that way until Marshman's next at-bat in the top of the fifth, when with one out and Tyus Santa Anna on first base, Marshman again lifted the ball over the left field fence to put the visitors up 3-0.  

The Yotes would scratch a run on the board in their half of the inning, the only one allowed by starting pitcher Isaac Mendez over five innings, but the Cougars would return the favor in the sixth when Jeffrey Castillo singled in Spencer Rasmussen, giving Azusa Pacific a 4-1 lead going to the bottom of the sixth.  Cal State San Bernardino loaded the bases in the sixth, but only got one run out of it.  However, the dam broke in the seventh, as the Yotes sent 10 batters to the plate, plating five of them and taking a 7-4 lead.  The teams traded runs in the eighth, with Casey O'Laughlin picking up an RBI single to drive home Will Stroud.

Trailing by three with one out in their final at-bat, Brett Soria reached on an error.  Marshman drew a walk, forcing a pitching change.  Will Medina greeted the new reliever with a an RBI single to draw the Cougars within two, and was lifted for a pinch runner.  Stroud drove in another run to cut the deficit to 8-7.  A fly out and another pitching change later, Rasmussen drew a walk and Tido Robles stepped up.  The senior pinch hitter dropped a single just inside the right field line to plate two runners and give the Cougars a 9-8 lead.  Sadly, it would not hold, as the Yotes loaded the bases with one out, and the final pitch resulted in a grounder that bounced off the mound and past the second baseman for a two-run single to put the Yotes within one win of the regional finals.

Up Next:  Azusa Pacific (35-18) finds themselves in the same situation they were in last season, trailing a CCAA opponent and needing to win two games to advance.  The Cougars will face Cal State San Bernardino again Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m.  If Azusa Pacific wins that game, the two sides will play a winner-take-all game thirty minutes after the first contest ends.  Both games, if necessary, will be streamed on the CCAA Network.