BOX SCORE 1 | BOX SCORE 2

SEASIDE, Calif. — The No. 17 Cal State Monterey Bay softball team used outstanding pitching and timely hitting to post a doubleheader sweep of west region rival Hawaii-Hilo, 3-2 (10 inn.) and 5-3 Monday at the Otter Sports Complex.

Sophomore Cori Reinhardt (Riverside Poly) and freshman Lindsey Clarkson (Fresno/Central HS) shared the pitching glory. Reinhardt threw a 10-inning, four-hitter to win the opener before Clarkson fanned eight in a three-hitter to win the nightcap.

At the plate, senior center fielder Angelina Orozco (Clovis East HS) played the role of hero, driving an RBI single to center to tie the game at 2-2 in the fifth before spanking a one-out single through the right side to plate pinch-runner Mickella Calvin (Napa/Vintage HS) with the game winner in the opener.

Reinhardt worked around an awkward second inning in which she allowed three two-out walks, an infield single and a passed ball to become two Vulcan runs. But she slammed the door from that point, allowing just one hit and two walks over the final eight innings.

Vulcan starter Vanessa Salinas was more than Reinhardt's equal early, holding the Otters hitless through the first three innings. But the Otters broke through in the fourth when Reinhardt reached on a fielder's choice in front of freshman Bianca Noriega (Ventura/Camarillo HS), who smashed a double to deep center to score Reinhardt and cut the deficit in half.

Nikki Rodriguez (San Jose/Evergreen Valley HS) led off the fifth with a double and it looked like the Otters would strand her there until Orozco lined a two-out, 2-2 pitch to center to tie the game.

Neither team threatened from that point until Rodriguez opened the 10th with a high hopper up the middle that Salinas couldn't quite corral. A sacrifice and a pinch-hit single from Clarkson set the table for Orozco, whose hard grounder found its way to right field to end the game.

Game two saw Clarkson record her first six outs with strikeouts. Her only mistake was leaving a 3-2 pitch up for third baseman Emily Greene, who hit her first homer of the season to left field  in the second inning to give the Vulcans an early 1-0 lead.

Clarkson started the Otter comeback in the bottom of the inning with a leadoff walk. Vanessa Avila (Dana Point/Santiago Canyon JC) opened the scoring in what would become a four-run inning three batters later with a single to center to plate Clarkson. Orozco then singled Avila to third in front of a bloop double down the left field line by Skyler Valdivia (Beaumont HS). Reinhardt followed by legging out an infield single that allowed the speedy Valdivia to score all the way from second.

Hilo made things interesting by capitalizing on a pair of Otter errors to score two runs in the sixth and pull to within 4-3. But Clarkson proved to be her own best friend again, leading off the Otter sixth with a single before eventually coming around to score on Danica Arterburn's (Sparks, Nev./Spanish Springs HS) two-out, pinch-it single up the middle.

Orozco and Valdivia led the Otter offense with three hits apiece in the doubleheader. Valdivia added her sixth stolen base of the season and Orozco her fifth in game two.

CSUMB (5–4 overall) will close its eight-game homestand by opening defense of its CCAA title this weekend against Cal State Stanislaus. The four-game series begins with a noon doubleheader Friday, Feb. 15.