SEASIDE, Calif. — The No. 21 ranked Cal State Monterey Bay baseball team ran its winning streak to eight games before finally seeing it come to an end with a doubleheader split versus Cal State San Bernardino Saturday afternoon at the Otter Sports Complex. The Otters used an 8–run eighth inning to blow open a 16–6 Game 1 victory before San Bernardino scratched out a 4–3 win in the nightcap.

CSUMB got two strong performances from its starting pitchers, but only Game 1 starter Colton Fletcher (San Jose/Chico State) was rewarded with a victory. Fletcher threw six innings of 2–hit, shutout baseball, fanning five and walking only one.

The Otters staked Fletcher to a 7–0 lead before a series of young relievers allowed the Coyotes to crawl back to within 8–6 in the eighth inning. But a leadoff double by Myles Hager (Tarzana/Chaminade Prep) lit the fuse on an 8–run outburst that put the game on ice. Jacob Tonascia (San Benito HS/Mission College), Kyle Guerra (San Leandro HS), Max Sanderson (Chabot College) and Kyle Czaplak (Monterey HS) all delivered RBI hits in the inning.

Connor Fabing (San Benito HS) wasn't so fortunate when Guerra couldn't find a lazy popup in the sun, allowing Jason Nall to open Game 2 with a single. A ground ball and a slow–hopper that squeaked through the middle gave the Coyotes their first lead of the series and the Otters played catch-up the rest of the afternoon.

The Otters gave themselves a chance late, stringing three 2–out singles together to score once and put the tying run at third base in the seventh inning. But Hager was a bit overanxious in his quest to drive home the tying run, grounding the pitch he saw to third base for the final out.
 

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GAME 1 WAS OVER WHEN OVER WHEN… Kyle Czaplak's single to right center put the finishing touches on an 8–run eighth inning to put the Otters on top, 16–6.

GAME 2 WAS OVER WHEN… Myles Hager grounded out to end the game with the tying run at third base.

ROLLIN', ROLLIN' ROLLIN'… Jacob Tonascia had five hits Saturday to run his hitting streak to 10 games. He is the only Otter to hit safely in all nine games this season.

EIGHT IS ENOUGH… CSUMB's winning streak ended at eight games with Saturday's Game 2 loss. It is the second–longest streak to open a season in Otter history. The 2016 Otters started 9–0 en route to 34 wins and an NCAA Regional bid.

DOUBLE THE PLEASURE, DOUBLE THE FUN… The Otters scored in double figures for the sixth time in seven games by hanging 16 runs on the Coyotes in Game 1. To add some perspective to that, the CSUMB record for most game with double–digit runs in a season is 12, by the 2015 and 2016 squads. The Otters have 41 regular season games remaining to chase that record.

LEADERS OF THE RAFT… Colton Fletcher (W (2–0), 6.0 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 5 K, 1 BB); Jacob Tonascia (5x8, 3 2B, HR (3), 4 R, 6 RBI); Hayden Duer (3x9, HR (3), R, 3 RBI); TJ Dove (5x8, SB, 2 R); Max Sanderson (4x10, 2 R, 4 RBI).

THEY'VE GOT NEXT… The Otters conclude their 4–game series with San Bernardino with a single game Sunday starting at 11 a.m.