Cougs Come Up Just Short in Finale

College of Marin ended Lassen College's season with an 8–6 victory in Game 3 of their postseason series Friday afternoon. The Mariners took the opener earlier in the day, dropped Game 2, and then bounced back in the decisive nightcap to win the best-of-three series on the road.

Marin jumped out to a 3–0 lead in the first inning and never trailed. The Mariners pounded out 13 hits, including home runs from Derek Bartram and Gilbert Roth. Bartram finished with three RBIs, and Roth went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two driven in. Adrian Ruiz added two hits and an RBI as Marin built a cushion they would need to hold off a late Lassen rally.

Lassen scratched across two runs in the third and trailed 8–2 heading into the bottom of the eighth, when their offense came to life. The Cougars plated four runs in the inning, highlighted by RBIs from Mitchell Basterrechea, Jack Zimmerman, and Roque Serrano. With the tying run at the plate in the ninth, Marin's bullpen held firm to preserve the win and end Lassen's season.

David Skaggs earned the win for Marin, tossing five shutout innings in relief. For Lassen, six pitchers combined to battle through a deep Marin lineup, but three errors and the early deficit proved too much to overcome. The Cougars finish the year with a gritty performance, splitting the first two games and nearly coming all the way back in the finale.