OTTERS vs. GATORS HIGHLIGHTSSEASIDE, Calif. — Nothing came easy for either team in this weekend's 4–game softball series between Cal State Monterey Bay and San Francisco State. When the dust finally settled after a long Saturday, the Otters picked up two wins and the Gators one as the teams ended with a series split.
CSUMB began by finishing what turned out to be an 11–inning victory, taking the completion of Friday's late game on a
Madison Casto (Sunnyvale/Homestead HS) walkoff, 2–run homer, 7–5. SFSU rallied with a late run to take the next game 5–4 before Casto's 2–out, RBI single in the sixth gave the Otters a 5–4 win in the series finale.
Bianca Noriega (Camarillo HS) earned both wins in the circle for the Otters. She earned the first win without having to throw a pitch Saturday. Noriega threw 4 1/3 innings of 1–hit, shutout relief on Friday before the game was halted due to darkness. The Otters began Saturday batting in the bottom of the 11th and quickly ended the affair on Casto's second home run of the season.
The Otters jumped to an early 4–0 lead in the first full game Saturday. But SFSU tied it with a 4–run third. Gator senior Megan Clark, who came on in relief with just one out in the first inning, did her best Houdini impersonation to escape trouble several times and keep the game tied heading into the seventh.
CSUMB freshman
Rosalia Keirns (Fontana/Claremont HS) was even better in 4 1/3 innings of relief until Angelica Terrell lofted a 2–out, seventh inning single into right field to break the tie and give the Gators the win.
Noriega got the start again in the nightcap and was well on the way to the win until she left a sixth inning pitch up to light–hitting second baseman Kayli Shaw. Shaw turned the mistake into her only her second hit of the series, a 2–run liner over the center field fence to knot the game at 4–4.
The Otters caught a break of their own in the bottom of the sixth.
Anneliese Lopez hit a soft grounder to third. Sara Higa threw in time to get her but first baseman Melisa Andrade juggled the ball, allowing Lopez to reach while sending
Jayme Stark to third. Casto made the Gators pay for the mistake by roping a single deep down the right field line to plate Stark.
Noriega needed just nine pitches to complete a 1–2–3 seventh to seal the win.
Courtney Varela (Torrance HS) stayed hot with three more hits in Saturday's first game before going 0-for-3 in the series finale. She finished the series 8-for-16 with three runs and three stolen bases.
Casto was the only Otter to hit safely in both regularly scheduled games Saturday, finishing with a hit and an RBI in each game.
The Otters will hit the road for their next 10 games, beginning with a Tuesday doubleheader at Sonoma State. They return home to host UC San Diego for a pair of rare weekend doubleheaders on Monday and Tuesday, Mar. 21–22
GO OTTERS!
