TURLOCK, Calif. — Anybody needing proof that baseball is a funny game need look no further than Saturday's series opening doubleheader between No. 20 Cal State Monterey Bay and Stanislaus State. Stanislaus rode an 11–run sixth inning to a 13–2 victory in the opener before
Colton Fletcher (San Jose/Westmont HS) dazzled in an 11–strikeout, 3–hit gem to lead the Otters to a 12–1 win in the nightcap.
Fletcher fanned 11 for the second time this season while allowing just a single unearned run in eight innings of work.
Brandon Granger (San Benito HS/Hartnell College) pitched a perfect ninth to close the win.
Myles Hager (Tarzana/Chaminade Prep) had the second 4–hit game of his career to pace the 17–hit Otter attack in Game 2. In fact, the first five batters in the CSUMB lineup all enjoyed multi–hit games in the nightcap as nine different Otters joined the hit parade.
The Otters actually led 2–0 in the fourth inning of Game 1, thanks to a solo shot by
Hayden Duer (Davis HS) and a run–scoring Stanislaus error. But the Warriors tied it with two in their half of the fourth before scoring 11 times against three Otter pitchers in the home half of the sixth.
Jacob Tonascia (San Benito HS/Mission College),
Max Sanderson (Pleasanton/Foothills HS/Chabot College) and Duer were the three Otters that hit safely in both games Saturday.
GAME 1 WAS OVER WHEN OVER WHEN… the dust had settled on an 11–run sixth inning that put Stanislaus up 13–2. That proved to be the final.
GAME 2 WAS OVER WHEN OVER WHEN… Ruben Gonzalez laced a 2–run double to left to cap a 3–run Otter fourth, giving CSUMB a 4–1 lead. With
Colton Fletcher dealing, Stanislaus managed just one hit over the final six innings.
A SWING AND 11 MISSES… By striking out 11 batters Saturday,
Colton Fletcher tied himself for the No. 2 mark for strikeouts in a game in Otter history. Patrick McClain set the CSUMB record of 12 in a win over San Francisco State on Apr. 24, 2010.
DOUBLE FIGURE Ks, DOUBLE THE FUN… By fanning 11 at Cal State L.A. on Mar. 3 and 11 Saturday afternoon,
Colton Fletcher became the first pitcher in CSUMB history to fan more than 10 batters in a game twice.
DOUBLE THE PLEASURE, DOUBLE THE FUN… The Otters scored in double figures for the eighth time this season by hanging 12 runs on the Warriors in Game 2. To add some perspective to that, the CSUMB record for most games with double–digit runs in a season is 12, by the 2015 and 2016 squads. The Otters have 30 regular season games remaining to chase that record.
LEADERS OF THE RAFT… Colton Fletcher (W (4–1), 3 H, 0 ER, 11 K, 1 BB);
Hayden Duer (2x7, 2B, HR (6), R, RBI);
Jacob Tonascia (3x7, 2B, BB, 3 R, 2 RBI);
TJ Dove (3x7, 2B, BB, 2 R);
Max Sanderson (3x8, BB, 2 R);
Ruben Gonzalez (1x8, 2B, R, 2 RBI).
THE LAST WORD… "After a tight, competitive first five innings, Game 1 got away from us. We didn't play as well as we can play. Stan State is a good team and they capitalized with one really big inning. We played much better in Game 2 with Fletch throwing another gem. When he is on, he is really tough to beat." —
CSUMB Head Coach Walt White
THEY'VE GOT NEXT… The Otters conclude their 4–game at Stanislaus with a doubleheader starting Sunday at noon.
GO OTTERS!
