SAN MARCOS, Calif. — No. 14 Cal State Monterey Bay expanded its lead in the CCAA race to two games by completing a series sweep of Cal State San Marcos with a 4–2 win Saturday at the CSUSM Baseball Field.

The win lifts the Otters to 23–7 overall and 17–7 in the CCAA. They now hold a 2–game lead over UC San Diego and Cal State L.A. (both 15–9) and a 3–game lead on Cal Poly Pomona (14–10).

Sophomore Ethan McRae (Hanford/Fresno CC) allowed just one run and fanned three in five innings to improve to 4–0. The Otters got four innings of solid relief behind him, with Jeffery Ahern (Anderson Union HS) allowing only a single unearned run in three innings of work and sophomore closer Connor Fabing (San Benito HS) tossing a scoreless ninth for his fifth save.

TJ Dove (River Valley HS/Yuba CC) doubled and scored on an error and Kyle Czaplak (Pacific Grove HS) singled home another run to stake McRae to a 2–0 lead in the third. Dove made it 3–0 Otters with an RBI knock of his own in the fourth.

San Marcos rallied for single digits in the fifth and sixth innings before Czaplak scored from third on a 2–out passed ball in the seventh. The Cougars saw one last chance snuffed in the ninth when a Fabing induced a 6–4–3 double play following a leadoff infield single.

Dove posted his second 4–plus hit game of the season while Czaplak and Kyle Guerra (San Leandro HS) had two hits apiece to pace the 10–hit Otter offense. Doubles by Dove and Czaplak were the game's only extra–base hits.
 

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THE GAME WAS OVER WHEN… Connor Fabing coaxed Cabot Van Til to hit into a 6–4–3 double play to erase the final Cougar base runner in the ninth inning.

HOW SWEEP IT IS… This weekend's sweep of Cal State San Marcos marks the third sweep of 2018 for the Otters. Point Loma Nazarene and Western Oregon were the other victims. The CSUMB record for sweeps in a season is five by the 2013 squad that won a school–record 39 games.

DOVE'S STREAK NOW OF RECORD PROPORTION… Junior center fielder TJ Dove put an exclamation point on his record–breaking performance, going–4–for–4 to reach base safely in 30 consecutive games, breaking the Otter record of 29 in a row set by Nick Vigo last season. Dove has reached base safely in every game of 2018.

OH WHAT A RELIEF HE IS… Connor Fabing picked up his fifth save of 2018, good for No. 6 on the CSUMB single–season saves list. A.J. Quintero set the Otter record for saves in a season with 10 back in 2013.

START ME UP… By improving to 23–7, the Otters now have the best record in program history through 30 games. The 2016 team started 22–8 en route to 34 wins and an NCAA Regional bid.

LEADERS OF THE RAFT… TJ Dove (4x4, 2B, SB, BB, R, RBI); Kyle Czaplak (2x4, 2B, BB, R, RBI); Ethan McRae (W (4–0), 5.0 IP, 6 H 1R, 3 K, BB); Connor Fabing (S (5), 1.0 IP 1 H, 0 R).

THE LAST WORD… "Anytime you can sweep a series in the CCAA, it's something. Our league is so competitive and challenging that one win is difficult, let alone four on the road." — CSUMB Head Coach Walt White

THEY'VE GOT NEXT… The Otters return home to host Cal State Dominguez Hills for a 4–game series Apr. 6–8 at the Otter Sports Complex.