College of Marin Baseball should have saved some runs from their Friday outburst. After scoring 18 in game one of the best of three series, the Mariners could only muster a single run against San Mateo's Jared Milch in a 2-1 loss to the Bulldogs. Marin's Jason Wutsch was the tough luck loser as he allowed just two runs while on the hill.
The Mariners played as the visiting team in the second game of the playoff series. Having first at bats did not help the Mariners initially, though they did get runners on in each of the first three innings, but failed to score. On the other side of the ball, San Mateo had runners on everything but also could not push a run across.
The Mariners drew first blood in the fourth as James Harwell singled to lead off. After a strikeout, Hussain reached on a fielder's choice with two out in the inning. He stole second and came around to score on a single by MacLean Meyn for a 1-0 lead. Meyn proceeded to steal second with Dominic Burke at the plate. Burke lined a single past third to the left, Meyn rounded third and came home, but a laser throw beat Meyn by a second and he was tagged out trying to score.
Wutsch yielded a leadoff single in the bottom of the fourth but retired the next three batters consecutively to hold the Bulldogs off the board. After the Mariners went in order in the top half, the Bulldogs responded in the bottom of the fifth.
San Mateo's Keolu Ramos led off the inning with a single and moved to second on a wild pitch. Jack McCarthy followed with a single to tie the game up at 1-1. After a hit by pitch and a strikeout, a stumble on a fly ball allowed it to drop for a single to load the bases. The following batter hit a sacrifice fly to center to score McCarthy and grant San Mateo a 2-1 lead.
From that point forward the Mariners' offense was practically nonexistent, they got two out singles in the sixth and eighth innings but were unable to score again. Owen Hamilton took the hill for the Mariners in the sixth and pitched three scoreless innings in relief of Wutsch. Hamilton kept the game close but Marin could not push across the tying run.
Harwell was the only Mariner with two hits, while Hussain scored the lone run and Meyn earned the only RBI. Wutsch allowed nine hits and two runs in five innings while Hamilton got nine outs in relief while yielding a walk and four hits.
Milch was excellent for the Bulldogs as he threw eight innings allowing just six hits and one run.
The Mariners can atone in a hurry as they host San Mateo in the deciding game of the CCCAA Regional Playoffs at 3pm.