SEASIDE, Calif. — Just two days after his walk–off double ended the second longest game in Cal State Monterey Bay baseball history, senior
Hayden Duer (Davis HS) did it again, hitting a pair of huge home runs to lift the No. 20 Otters to a 3–0, 4–3 doubleheader sweep of perennial power Chico State Sunday at the Otter Sports Complex.
Duer's 2–run, opposite field shot in Game 1 put the cherry on top of an absolute gem twirled by
Levi Noddin (San Leandro/Chabot College). In the 7–inning nightcap, He blasted a mammoth solo shot in the sixth inning to break a 3–3 tie.
Duer finished the day 3–for–7 with a double, two homers, three runs and three RBI.
While Duer supplied the power, Noddin,
Ethan McRae (Hanford/Fresno CC) and a pair of relievers delivered 16 innings of quality pitching. Noddin was the undisputed ace on this day, throwing eight innings of 2–hit, shutout ball. He fanned six and walked just two while improving to 2–1.
Junior
Ian Manzo (Colorado Springs/S.J. Delta College) made his first Otter appearance a memorable one, striking out the first batter he faced in a scoreless ninth to earn the save.
In Game 2, McRae was masterful, fanning nine in 5 1/3 innings. A Otter error opened the door on a 2–run sixth inning that tied the game for Chico and cost him the win. But
Connor Fabing (San Benito HS) allowed just one hit over the final 1 2/3 innings to set the stage for Duer's dramatics.
GAME 1 WAS OVER WHEN OVER WHEN… Hayden Duer hit a 2–run homer to right center to extend the Otter lead to 3–0. With
Levi Noddin and
Ian Manzo in control, Chico never got a runner to scoring position over the final three innings.
GAME 2 WAS OVER WHEN OVER WHEN… While
Hayden Duer's home run set the stage, this one wasn't over until
Ruben Gonzalez made an excellent play cutting in front of shortstop
Kyle Czaplak to throw out Turner Olson at first base by an eyelash for the final out with the tying run on second.
TAMING THE WILDCATS… By taking three of four games from Chico State this weekend, the Otters won a season series against the Wildcats for the first time in 14 tries dating back to CSUMB's inaugural season in 2006. Sunday's sweep marks CSUMB's third doubleheader sweep of Chico.
DUER GETS PICKY AGAIN… After picking two runners off base Saturday,
Hayden Duer did it again Sunday, this time catching Chico catcher RJ Hassey drifting off third base to end a scoring threat in the fourth inning.
AND THEN THERE WAS ONE… Max Sanderson went–0–for–4 in Sunday's opener, leaving
TJ Dove as the last remaining Otter to have reached base safely in every game of 2018. Dove went 1–for–4 in the opener than walked twice in the nightcap to extend his streak to 18 games. It's worth noting that
Hayden Duer's streak of reaching base safely extended to 12 games Sunday.
LEADERS OF THE RAFT… Hayden Duer (3x7, 2B, 2 HR (5,6), 3 R, 3 RBI);
Myles Hager (2x6, 2B, SB, 2 R, 2 RBI);
Levi Noddin (W (2–1), 8.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 6 K, 2 BB);
Ethan McRae (5.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 9 K, 4 BB).
THE LAST WORD… "Anyone watching this series saw some pretty good baseball played. Today we pitched very well. Levi and Ethan gave us great starts, while Ian and Connor were great in pressure moments. Hayden had a great series and came up big with a few clutch hits, including today's game winning blast to left in game 2. Overall it was a nice series win against a good Chico State team." —
CSUMB Head Coach Walt White
THEY'VE GOT NEXT… The Otters head to Turlock for a 4–game set at Stanislaus State Mar. 11–16 at Warrior Field.
GO OTTERS!
