HAYWARD, Calif. — The No. 13 Cal State Monterey Bay baseball team opened it regular season–ending series with a important 5–1 win over Cal State East Bay Thursday at Pioneer Field.

The win reduces CSUMB's (34–13, 28–13 CCAA) magic number to clinch the CCAA title to two. Any combination of Monterey Bay wins and UC San Diego losses totaling two over the final three games for each team will give the Otters the title.

Junior Jeffery Ahern (Anderson HS) led a solid staff outing, starting and throwing four innings of shutout ball for his fourth win of 2018.

East Bay gifted the Otters an early run when Connor Caspersen (Amador Valley HS/Mission College) drew a 5–pitch walk with the bases loaded in the second inning. Darren Kriz (Chaminade Prep/College of the Canyons) doubled the Otter advantage two innings later by leading off the fourth with his first home run of the season.

CSUMB added single runs in the seventh, eighth and ninth as insurance. They weren't needed, however as A.J. Banuelos (Soledad HS/MPC) and Greg Steinbeck (San Benito HS) combined for five innings of 1–run relief.
 

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THE GAME WAS OVER WHEN OVER WHEN… Greg Steinbeck coaxed a popout from Nolan Jekich to end the seventh inning with the potential tying run on first base. Steinbeck allowed just one base runner over the final two innings as CSUMB pulled away.

WELCOME TO THE CLUB… Darren Kriz became the eighth Otter to hit a home run in 2018 with his leadoff blast in the fourth inning. CSUMB ranks No. 2 in the CCAA with 40 team home runs on the season.

HE KEEPS ON ROLLING… TJ Dove ran his reached base streak to 47 games with a second inning walk Thursday. He extended his school–record hitting streak to 21 games with a leadoff single in the eighth.

FRIDAY COULD BE THE DAY… The Otters could wrap up the CCAA title as early as Friday when they host East Bay for a doubleheader. A sweep by the Otters or a win and a UCSD loss in its (single) game at Cal State San Marcos would do the trick.

LEADERS OF THE RAFT… Darren Kriz (2x3, HR (1), 2 R, 2 RBI); Max Sanderson (2x3, 2 R, BB); Conner Caspersen (2x3, 3 RBI, BB); Jeffery Ahern (W (4–1), 4.0 IP, 0 R, 5 H, K, 0 BB); Greg Steinbeck (S (2), 2.2 IP, 0 R).

THEY'VE GOT NEXT… The Otters host the Pioneers for a doubleheader Friday at the Otter Sports Complex. First pitch is scheduled for noon.