SEASIDE, Calif. -- The No. 4 Cal State Monterey Bay softball team began a new winning streak Saturday, just after it saw its school–record 19–game streak snapped earlier in the day. The Otters split a doubleheader with visiting Chico State, dropping the opener 5–2 before coming back to take the nightcap 3–2.

CSUMB (38–6, 19–5 CCAA), which has has won 29 of its last 31 games, reduced its magic number to clinch a berth in the CCAA Championship Tournament to one with the Game 2 victory. The split allowed the Otters to maintain a share of first place in the CCAA with eight regular season games remaining thanks to UCSD's split at San Francisco State Saturday.

Chico (21–21, 14–14) treaded water in its quest to grab the fourth and final spot in the CCAA tourney, remaining one game behind Sonoma State, which split its doubleheader with No. 9 Humboldt State Saturday afternoon.

Sophomore pitcher Lindsey Clarkson (Fresno/Central HS) improved to 21–2 by winning her 13th consecutive decision in Game 2. For her part, junior pitcher Cori Reinhardt (Riverside Poly) also gave a strong performance, marred only by one bad pitch and a hatful of bad luck, in dropping her first decision since Feb. 22.

Offensively, freshman Madison Casto (Sunnyvale/Homestead HS) continued to break out of a mild slump by going 3–for–5 with a double and a pair of RBIs in the twinbill. Sophomore Bianca Noriega (Ventura/Camarillo HS) finished the day 4–for–6, including her 19th double of the season, and two RBIs.

The opener began as a pitcher's duel between Reinhardt and Chico starter Alex Molina. Things went awry for the Otters in the fifth inning when a leadoff walk, a sacrifice and three infield hits allowed the Wildcats to break the ice. Reinhardt followed with her only bad pitch of the weekend and Desiree Gonzalez made her pay by hitting a grand slam to put the Wildcats on top 5–0.

A Reinhardt single started an Otter rally in the sixth. Noriega and Casto followed with doubles to cut the deficit to 5–2, but that's as close as CSUMB would get.

Fortune smiled on both offenses early in Game 2. Chico scored in the top of the first when a 2–out Gonzalez pop fly to short left got lost in the sun for a cheap RBI single. The Otters answered right back, however, taking advantage of a Kelli Keefe throwing error to set the table for a Noriega RBI single to right.

The game remained that way until the fifth when Alissa Greenhaw (Galt/Cosumnes River College) beat out a single to the hole at short. A sacrifice and another infield single by Brianne Hollon (Agoura Hills/Alemany HS) put runners on the corners. Hollon promptly stole second in front of Reinhardt, who brought Greenhaw home with a sharp grounder to the right side.

Noriega followed with a single through the left side to plate Hollon with what proved to be a valuable insurance run.

Gonzalez halved the Otter advantage with a 2–out homer in the sixth, her seventh in her last 11 games. But Clarkson brushed that aside and didn't allow another hit to close out the victory.

CSUMB returns to action next weekend when it heads to Carson for a 4–game series at Cal State Dominguez Hills. The Otters return home to close their 2014 regular season schedule by hosting a 4–game set with Cal State San Bernardino April 25–26.
 

GO OTTERS!