SAN MARCOS -- Cal State LA's baseball team got its 2024 California Collegiate Athletic Association season off to a good start with a win at Cal State San Marcos on Friday.

The Golden Eagles jumped out to a 10-0 lead after two innings and made it stand up in a 15-11 win over the Cougars in the conference opener for both schools at the CSUSM Baseball Field. Cal State LA (7-4, 1-0 CCAA) ran its winning streak to six in a row and scored in double figures for the fifth time in the past six games.

Isaiah Marquez had a sensational day at the plate, going 4-for-5 with two runs home runs and six runs batted in. Andrew Tovar was 3-for-5 with three runs scored, four RBI and a home run, while Ethan Gonzalez was 3-for-5 with two runs scored and a home run. Matthew Piotrowski was 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBI and Elijah Jackson was 3-for-6 with two runs scored and one RBI. 

Cal State LA had 18 hits in the game.

Even with all the offense, the game got a bit too close for comfort in the ninth inning when Cal State San Marcos (1-5, 0-1 CCAA) scored four times and had the bases loaded and the tying run at bat. Cal State LA's Anthony Diaz came on and closed the door, getting a fielder's choice groundout from the only batter he faced to pick up his second save of the season.

Anthony Lopez went five innings, allowing six hits and three earned runs to pick up the win. He is now 2-0. Miles Halligan went the next three innings and gave up two hits and one run.

Cal State LA scored three times in the first and added seven runs in the second inning to take a quick 10-0 lead. Tovar singled in the first run of the game and Marquez added a two-run single in the opening inning.

Gonzalez hit a leadoff home run to start the seven-run rally in the second. Piotrowski added a two-run single to make it 6-0, Tovar added a run-scoring single to make it 7-0 and Marquez hit a three-run home run to give the Golden Eagles a 10-0 lead.

After Cal State San Marcos scored two runs in the fourth, Marquez hit a leadoff home run in the fifth to make it 11-2. The Cougars made it 11-5 with three runs in the bottom of the fifth, but Tovar hit a two-run home run in the sixth to increase the lead to 13-5. Jackson and Javy Espinoza added run-scoring singles in the seventh to complete Cal State LA's scoring. 

Cal State LA will continue the four-game series at Cal State San Marcos on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m.