SEASIDE, Calif. — Senior second baseman
Kyle Czaplak (Pacific Grove HS) enjoyed his biggest game of the season, driving in five runs with a single, a double and a home run to rally No. 14 Cal State Monterey Bay from a 6–0 deficit to a 9–6 win over Cal State Dominguez Hills in the series opener Saturday at the Otter Sports Complex.
It was the sixth consecutive win for CSUMB (24–7 overall), which improved to 18–7 in CCAA play. CSUMB now leads Cal State L.A. and UC San Diego (both 15–10) by three games in the CCAA race.
Dominguez Hills appeared primed for the upset after touching CSUMB starter
Gabe Katich (San Jose/Gavilan College) for four runs in the first and two more in the second to build an early 6–0 lead. But Katich settled down from that point, allowing just a lone single over his final 2 1/3 innings.
With the Toro offense now tamed, the Otter bats went to work. Back–to–back RBI doubles by
Darren Kriz (College of the Canyons) and
TJ Dove Yuba CC) got CSUMB to within 6–4. Three batters later, Czaplak drove a 3–2 pitch up the middle to cap the 6–run Otter fourth.
It stayed that way until the sixth, when Czaplak followed a leadoff double by
Max Sanderson (Pleasanton/Chabot College) with his third homer of the season to break the tie. Czaplak added an RBI double in the eighth inning to account for the final score.
THE GAME WAS OVER WHEN OVER WHEN… with Otter pitching shutting out the Toros over the final 7 1/3 innings,
Kyle Czaplak's home run snapped a 6–6 tie in the sixth inning.
IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT… With five RBI in Saturday's win,
Kyle Czaplak became the fourth Otter this season to drive in five or more runs in a game.
Jacob Tonascia and
Hayden Duer have each done it twice while
TJ Dove has turned the trick once.
OH WHAT A RELIEF IT IS… The Otter bullpen was tremendous after taking the ball from starter
Gabe Katich to start the fifth inning. The trio of
Alex Van Es,
A.J. Bañuelos and
Connor Fabing combined for five innings of shutout, no–hit relief. Fabing pitched the ninth to earn his fifth save.
HE KEEPS ON ROLLING… TJ Dove kept his school record streak of reaching base safely alive with a pair of hits Saturday afternoon. He has reached in 31 consecutive games, or, to put it another way, in every game of his Otter career.
LEADERS OF THE RAFT… Kyle Czaplak (3x4, 2B, HR (3), 2 R, 5 RBI);
TJ Dove (2x5, 2B, R, 2 RBI);
Max Sanderson (1x3, 2B, 2 R, 2 BB);
Darren Kriz (1x2, 2B, R, RBI);
A.J. Bañuelos (W (2–0), 0 R, 0 H, 4 K, BB).
THEY'VE GOT NEXT… The Otters and Toros continue their 4–game series with a doubleheader Sunday starting at noon.
GO OTTERS!
