OTTERS vs. TRITONS HIGHLIGHTS


SEASIDE, Calif. — Cal State Monterey Bay put together its most complete afternoon of softball this season to roar to a 6–2, 9–1 sweep of No. 25 UC San Diego Tuesday afternoon at the Otter Sports Complex. The wins give CSUMB 15–15, 10–13 CCAA) a 3–1 series victory over the Tritons (18–10, 12–8).

The Otters gave a command performance with solid play all over the field. In the circle, pitchers Bianca Noriega (Ventura/Camarillo HS) and Tori Pierucci (San Mateo/Hillsdale HS) each tossed 3–hitters to earn complete game wins. Noriega allowed just two unearned runs in the first inning of the opener before tossing 6 1/3 innings of 2–hit, shutout ball the rest of the way. Pierucci fanned four and walked one with a single marker in the second inning spoiling her shutout bid.

The Otter offense experienced a power surge in the opener, hitting four home runs in a game for just the fourth time in school history and the first time since 2014. Noriega's 2–run laser to right field erased a 2–0 Triton lead in the first.

Chase Robledo (Camarillo HS) and Madison Casto (Sunnyvale/Homestead HS) added solo shots in the second and third. Courtney Hennings (Pleasanton/Amador Valley HS) closed the scoring with a 2–run bomb to dead center in the sixth.

CSUMB adjusted from blasting runs to manufacturing them in the nightcap. The Otters raced to an early lead by scoring five times on just three hits in the opening frame. Junior catcher Valerie Aguilar (Montebello HS/ELAC) capped the outburst with a 2–run double.

Sac flies from Aguilar and Jayme Stark (La Quinta HS) helped the Otters score two runs without a hit in the third inning thanks to a pair of hit batters and a walk. A Triton error and a fielder choice accounted for the final two Otters runs in the fourth.

Noriega broke out of a midseason slump in a big way, finishing the series 7-for-8 while reaching safely in 11 of her 12 plate appearances. She went 4-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs Tuesday. Casto also had two hits in each game while Robledo finished the day 4-for-5, including a 3-for-3 effort in the opener.

CSUMB will enjoy a rare weekend off before returning to action Mar. 30 when it hosts Western Oregon for a nonconference doubleheader. The Otters will follow with their annual trip to Turlock for the Tournament of Champions April 1–3 at Pedretti Park.