CARSON, Calif. — The No. 12 ranked Cal State Monterey Bay baseball team once again secured a series victory, this time taking a doubleheader from Cal State Dominguez Hills by the scores of 5-4, and 6-5, Saturday at Toro Field. CSUMB improves to 16-5 on the season and 5-2 in CCAA play.
Game 1
The Otters staged a ninth-inning comeback to stun Cal State Dominguez Hills, 6-5, in the opening game of Saturday's doubleheader at Toro Field.
The decisive ninth-inning rally began with a leadoff single from
Noah Zertuche, followed by a high-pressure base hit from pinch-hitter
Jordan Hockett. With two runners on,
Andrew Lehmann delivered a clutch single down the right-field line; a subsequent fielding error on the play allowed Zertuche to race home and tie the game.
Moments later,
Xander Sielken kept the pressure on with an infield single, which induced another throwing error that allowed Hockett to cross the plate for the go-ahead run.
The Otters' early offense was powered by
James Starkus, who continued his hot streak by launching a solo home run to left field in the third inning. Starkus finished the day 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two walks.
Conner Smith also provided a vital spark late in the game, lining an RBI single in the eighth inning to tie the game during a back-and-forth middle stretch.
On the mound,
Giovanni Costello earned his third win of the season (3-1) with a four-inning relief performance, surrendering only one run.
To seal the victory, the Otters turned to closer
Drew Aguiar, who secured his third save on the season and second in as many days.
Game 2
The Cal State Monterey Bay baseball team completed the doubleheader sweep of Cal State Dominguez Hills on Saturday afternoon, securing a 5-4 victory in the nightcap at Toro Field.
The Otters found themselves trailing 4-2 heading into the fifth inning before their response. After
James Starkus singled and both
Conner Smith and
Jason Del Villar were hit by pitches to load the bases,
Kyle Olimpia drew a clutch walk to force in a run.
Bobby Benavidez then provided the game's biggest swing, lining a two-run single to right field to put Monterey Bay ahead for good.
Starkus remained a force in the Otter lineup, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Starkus ignited the scoring in the third inning with his second home run of the day, a solo shot to right field that briefly gave the Otters a lead. Benavidez also delivered a standout performance, finishing a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBIs.
Starting pitcher
Andrew Kotin earned the win (4-1), navigating six innings and keeping the Toros at bay after surrendering a pair of home runs early in the contest. Kotin retired the side in order in the fifth and worked around a leadoff single in the sixth to maintain the slim one-run margin.
For the second time in four hours, the Otters called upon
Drew Aguiar to close the door. Entering the bottom of the seventh, Aguiar faced immediate pressure as the Toros put two runners on with two outs. However, the CSUMB closer remained composed, inducing a game-ending groundout to second base to record his fourth save of the season and his second of the day.
The two teams will close the series tomorrow at Noon.
