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SEASIDE, Calif. — In a potential CCAA and NCAA West Regional preview, No. 7 Cal State Monterey Bay and No. 19 Chico State split a taut doubleheader Wednesday at the Otter Sports Complex. Chico held off a late CSUMB rally to win the opener 8–7 before the Otters turned the tables to take an 8–7, 9–inning decision in the nightcap.

CSUMB moved to 38–10 overall and 23–7 in the CCAA. Chico is now 30–14 and 21–9. Both teams have already qualified for the four–team CCAA Championship Tournament April 27–29 in Stockton. With CSUMB holding the No. 2 seed and Chico holding the No. 4, both are in great shape to make the eight–team NCAA West Regional as well.

Junior second baseman Alyssa Rivera (Fontana HS/Riverside CC) was the biggest of several heroes for CSUMB, placing a single inside the right field line with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to drive home Nicole Pires (Ontario/Colony HS) with the winning run. Of course, Rivera might not have had that opportunity if not for Caitlin Wallace (Beaverton, Ore./College of the Redwoods), who starred down the heart of the Wildcat order to pitch out of a bases loaded, no–out jam in the top of the ninth.

That was the second Chico fire Wallace put out in game two. She helped quell the Wildcats' four–run, seventh inning rally which tied the game, setting down Bianca Lopez and Sam Quadt to keep the game tied.

It didn't look like the Otters were going to need any heroics after they put a deuce on the board in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to take a 7–3 lead. But Chico used six singles and a hit batter—all with one out— to level the scoreline.
Both teams went quietly in the eighth before Chico opened the ninth with two walks and an infield single. But Wallace settled down, coaxing  ground balls from the Chico 1–2–3 hitters to work her way to safety.

In the Otter ninth, Pires lined a one–out single to center before a Sklyer Valdivia (Beaumont HS) bunt caught the Wildcat defense unprepared, putting runners at first and second. Angelina Orozco (Clovis East HS) moved up both Pires and Valdivia with a slow roller to second, setting the stage for Rivera to end the affair.

The teams traded leads in the opener. CSUMB grabbed its last lead at 5–3 in the third inning thanks in large part to solo home runs from Jackie Serna (Corona HS), her 10th, and Pires, her sixth. But Lopez's two–run double down the left field line highlighted a three–run Chico fourth before RBI doubles from Quadt and Hailey Stockman pushed the Wildcat advantage to 8–5 in the sixth.

The Otters had a big last gasp in the bottom of the seventh, loading the bases with one to bring up Serna, who ripped a two–run single up the middle and advanced to second on the throw. But with the tying and winning runs in scoring position, the Otter rally fizzled.

Individually, freshman first baseman Nina Villanueva (San Diego/Mt. Carmel HS) extended her hitting streak to 19 games before going 0–for–4 with a walk in the nightcap. She was on deck when Rivera's single ended it. Villanueva did add a sacrifice fly in the opener, her 64th RBI of the season, leaving her just five shy of Natalie Galletly's CCAA record of 69 (2007).

Serna, meanwhile, ran her hitting streak to nine games, finishing the doubleheader 5–for–9 with a run and six RBIs. Jamie Moon (Torrance HS) made her hitting streak an even dozen, finishing the doubleheader 5–for–8 with three runs and three RBIs.

Lopez, Quadt and Jackie Muñoz each had three hits for Chico in the opener. Wright went 4–for–6 to lead the Wildcats in game two.

CSUMB will close its 2012 regular season schedule with a four–game set at No. 24 UC San Diego Friday and Saturday in La Jolla.