Led by the hitting of sophomore outfielder Trevor Crow and senior Ryan Fobes and the solid pitching of Elijah Thornquist, Henry Ojeda and Connor Gibson, the USF baseball team defeated No. 16 Cal State-San Marcos 4-2, on Monday afternoon before dropping the nightcap, 6-5. USF moved to 5-6, while San Marcos improved to 15-9 overall.

Fobes went 2-for-4 with one RBI and Crow finished 2-for-4 with a run scored. Another top hitter for USF was the always-reliable Noah Durkin, who went 1-for-3 and scored a pair of runs.

Cal State-San Marcos led off the bottom of the first with back-to-back hits and plated a run on a double-play ball to lead 1-0. USF would tie it when Dylan Dwyer doubled down the left field line to lead off the third and was doubled home by Fobes.

The game breezed to the sixth, where USF and San Marcos each tallied a run to knot the score at 2-2. Ojeda relieved Thornquist in the seventh and quickly retired Cal State before the Cougars took command in the eighth inning.

In the eighth, Durkin led off with a hit by pitch and advanced to third on Crow's base knock through the left side. An error by the CSUSM pitcher on the play allowed Durkin to cross home plate and Crow to advance to third. Noah Coleman reached base on a error by the shortstop which was also enough for Crow to score and give USF the 4-2 advantage.

Freshman Connor Gibson pitched two innings of no-hit baseball to notch his second save of the year.  

Things didn't go the Cougars' way in the nightcap, as Cal State-San Marcos scored three runs to tie the game in the eighth inning before rallying for two more in the bottom of the seventh for a 6-5 come-from-behind victory. Durkin had a banner day, going 4-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI while Crow added two hits and a run batted in. The pair accounted for six of the Cougars' 10 hits.

Noah Coleman tossed six innings where he allowed four runs (one earned) on seven hits with one walk and two strikeouts.

The Cougars led 4-1 in the bottom of the sixth but San Marcos, came all the way back, rallying for three runs off of Coleman to tie the game at 4-4. After Durkin produced a solo shot in the top of the seventh to move USF back in front 5-4, Ojeda relieved Coleman in the bottom of the seventh.

The CSUSM Cougars followed with two consecutive hits, including a run-scoring single through the right side to tie the game at 5-5. Gibson took the ball from Ojeda and looked to send the game into extras but San Marcos stroked a bunt single and Gibson committed a throwing error that allowed the game-winning run to score.

Only two of Cougars' six runs allowed were earned. Ojeda (1-2) was charged with the loss.