SEASIDE, Calif. — Saturday's doubleheader versus Cal State Dominguez Hills provided the kind of opportunity made for 3-time All-Americans. Thankfully for No. 3 ranked Cal State Monterey Bay, it has one on its roster.

Senior Cori Reinhardt (Riverside Poly) delivered in spectacular fashion for the Otters, improving to 13-0 in the circle with a 4-1 win in the opener. But that merely set the stage for even greater heroics in the nightcap, where Reinhardt tied the game with a 1-out double in the bottom of the seventh then scored the winning run on Madison Casto's (Sunnyvale/Homestead HS) 2-out single to give Otters the sweep with a 7-6 walkoff victory.

"Champions thrive on adversity: They live for that one moment to defy the odds," said CSUMB Head Coach Andrea Kenney (@Andrea_Kenney) after the wins. "Cori has been that person since putting on the MB uniform."

Reinhardt finished the doubleheader 3-for-5 with two doubles, two runs and three RBIs. She finished the 4-game series with the Toros 8-for-11 with five doubles, seven runs and five RBIs.

The win lifts CSUMB to 22–3 overall and keeps the Otters 1/2 game ahead of Sonoma State in the CCAA standings. It also matches CSUMB's longest winning streak of the season at eight games.

Dominguez Hills (10-13, 8-8) actually jumped to a first inning lead when Analisa Nicholson bounced a single up the middle to drive home Carly Mitchell. But that was all Reinhardt allowed as she finished the game with 6 2/3 of shutout ball.

It stayed that 1-0 Toros until the fifth, when Alissa Greenhaw (Galt/Cosumnes River College) led off with a bunt single before coming around to score when second baseman Priscilla Cardona crashed into Mitchell on a routine popup to short.

Almost needless to say, Reinhardt followed with a 2-run double to the fence in left center to give the Otters the lead for good at 3-1.

The nightcap began just as the opener did, with Nicholson bouncing an RBI single up the middle in the first inning. Greenhaw's line drive single to left in the second tied the game at 1-1 before Reinhardt's single in the third brought Courtney Varela (Harbor City/Torrance HS) around to score when it skipped past Kaci McGinnis and rolled to the wall.

Reinhardt scored one batter later on a Bianca Noriega (Ventura/Camarillo HS) sac fly.

That's when the strangest inning of the season threatened to derail the Otters. Alexandra Mootry led off with a single in front of McGinnis, who hit what appeared to be a routine fly to left center. But left fielder Danica Arterburn (Sparks, Nev./Spanish Springs HS) couldn't find the ball in the sun and it dropped for a gift double.

The wheels came off the wagon for starting pitcher Lindsey Clarkson (Fresno/Central HS) following the play. Clarkson, who fanned eight Toros in a 2-hit shout on Friday, completely lost the strikezone. She walked the next three Toros—with a wild pitch to boot—before giving way to Noriega.

A double by Madison Murphy and two more walks brought freshman Lauren Hammond (Lake Forest/El Toro HS) out of the pen for her first collegiate pitching appearance. Hammond walked the first batter she saw but got the final two outs of the inning to stop the bleeding at five runs in the inning and a 6-3 CSUDH lead.

Hammond did her job, tossing 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to keep the Otters in the game. And her effort proved to be vital.

Jenae Coleman (Castaic/Hart HS) got the Otters close with a 2-out, 2-run double in the sixth inning. After Hammond allowed a double to Jazmine Ruiz leading off the Toro seventh, Arterburn came on to pitch for the first time this season and stranded Ruiz at second.
Then the fun began.

After Varela lined out to open the seventh, Jayme Stark (La Quinta HS) drew a 4-pitch walk. Reinhardt fouled off one pitch before driving a ball to deep center that turned Ruiz around twice before hitting the base of the fence, allowing Stark to score from first without a throw.

Noriega flew out to left for the second out of the inning, bringing up Casto with two outs. Casto hit a hard grounder up the middle that second baseman Rachel Gulbrandson tried to keep in the infield with a diving stop. But the ball ticked off her glove and into shallow center.

Reinhardt, who never slowed down, scored standing up to complete the sweep.

CSUMB hits the road four a 4-game set at Chico State next weekend. The Otters return home to host 2014 NCAA Regional qualifier Central Washington for a nonconference doubleheader on Wednesday, Mar. 28.