BOX SCORE 1 | BOX SCORE 2

TURLOCK, Calif. – The Cal State Monterey Bay softball team opened defense of its 2012 Mizuno Tournament of Champions title by winning a pair of games to begin 2013 tournament play Friday at Pedretti Park. CSUMB downed Montana State-Billings 6-1 in its opener before shutting out Western Washington 5-0 in its nightcap.

Pitching was the order of the day for the Otters (23-16 overall), who moved a season-high seven games over .500 with Friday's wins. Sophomore All-American Cori Reinhardt (Riverside Poly) tossed a 4-hitter to beat MSUB (8-19) for her 11^th win of the season in Game 1. Freshman Lindsey Clarkson (Fresno/Central HS) fanned five in her own 4-hitter over Western Washington (17-16) in Game 2.

Reinhardt also starred at the plate, doubling in both games to run her team-record reached base streak to 40 games and her team season-high hitting streak to 12 games.  Junior second baseman Vanessa Avila (Dana Point/Santiago Canyon CC) added four hits Friday, including a career-best 3-for-3 effort in the win over MSUB.

What drama there was Friday came in the Western Washington game.  Clarkson was in complete control, throwing no-hit ball for 4 2/3 innings before the Vikings finally broke through with their first hit.  The Otters scored single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to give Clarkson all the support she would need. A two-run triple by Stacey Campos (Porterville College) put the game essentially out of reach in the sixth inning.

From there, it was just a question of whether or not Reinhardt would continue her streaks.  She answered it emphatically in the seventh inning, driving a 2-1 pitch to deep left field for her team-leading ninth double of the season.

In the opener, Lauren Ermitano (Hayward/Ohlone College) followed Reinhardt's 2-out double in the first inning with an RBI single to stake the Otters to a 1-0 lead. The Yellowjackets tied it by sandwiching a pair of ground outs between two of their four singles in the third.

The Otters regained their advantage in the fifth scoring twice thanks to a Bianca Noriega (Ventura/Camarillo HS) infield single and an MSUB throwing error. An Ermitano sac fly and another MSUB error generated two more Otter runs in the sixth to account for the final margin.

CSUMB will conclude pool play at the Mizuno Tournament of Champions with three games Saturday. The Otters open against Azusa Pacific University at 10:15 a.m. before meeting Saint Martin's University at 12:15 p.m.  Following a short break, CSUMB closes the day with a 5:45 p.m. game against Central Washington.