Now there are four. In an elimination game for both teams in the NCAA Championship Tournament, the Cal State San Marcos Cougars took care of business against North Georgia, winning 7-1 to keep their tournament hopes alive.
If there was one name that defined the Cougars' day, it was Czar Fleischman. The slugger got CSU San Marcos on the board in the second inning with a solo home run to left field, then came back in the fifth to deliver a clutch two-RBI single that scored Marissa Morales and Jillian Albayati and blew the game open. She finished with three RBI on the day and scored twice, making her easily the offensive catalyst for San Marcos.
The Cougars got on the board quickly in the second inning. After Fleischman's solo shot, Marissa Morales came through with a sacrifice fly to plate Kaila Siu and push the lead to 2-0. North Georgia's pitching staff held things together through the third and fourth innings, but the fifth inning proved to be the back-breaker. With two outs and runners on second and third, Fleischman legged out a single, just beating the throw to first and earn the two-RBI single. Fleischman advanced to second on a play at the plate, and Sarah Bull followed with an RBI single, turning a manageable deficit into a 5-0 mountain for the Nighthawks to climb.
Jillian Albayati then put the game firmly out of reach in the sixth with a two-run blast to center field, scoring Hannah Tandy, who had entered as a pinch runner, and giving San Marcos a commanding 7-0 lead.
The Nighthawks managed just four hits all game and struggled to string anything together against the Cougars pitching staff. Their lone run came in the seventh inning on a throwing error, keeping the shutout off the board but doing nothing to change the outcome.
For the Cougars, the win means their tournament run continues. With a balanced offensive effort, standout performances from Fleischman and Albayati, and steady pitching, CSUSM showed they are now one of only four teams remaining in the NCAA Championship tournament. The others are No. 1 Saint Leo, No. 5 West Texas A&M, and No. 6 McKendree. The Cougars play McKendree today, Sunday, at 10:30 a.m. Watch here.
Top Photo Credit: Nico Klementzos
