CHICO – No. 12 Cal State Monterey Bay battled Chico State in a back-and-forth, highly contested doubleheader Saturday at Nettleton Stadium. The Wildcats took game one, 5-4, while the Otters rallied in extras to win, 9-7. 

The extra inning victory secured the Otters a spot in their 10th consecutive CCAA Baseball Tournament and moved them to 33-12 overall and 18-9 in conference play. 
 
Game Two
 
Much like game one, game two featured multiple lead changes, this time forcing extra innings, where the Otters prevailed for the 9-7 win in the ninth inning.
 
The game remained tense entering the ninth inning before Cal State Monterey Bay delivered the decisive blow. The Otters scored two runs in the final frame to secure the 9-7 victory.
 
Jordan Hockett singled up the middle to start the inning, then stole second base to move into scoring position. Bobby Benavidez followed with a single up the middle that drove in Hockett to break the tie at 8-7. Jason Del Villar then singled to left field, scoring Benavidez for the eventual final score.
 
The Otters established control early, scoring three runs in the first inning and adding three more in the fourth to build a 6-3 advantage. Chico State mounted a comeback with runs scattered throughout the middle innings, including a two-run third inning and a two-run fifth inning that kept the Wildcats within striking distance.
 
CSUMB extended its lead with a single run in the fifth inning to reach 7-4, but Chico State added another run in the sixth to cut the deficit to 7-5.
 
Jason Del Villar led the Otter bats with three hits and two RBIs while scoring two runs and stealing a base. Benavidez contributed two hits and two RBIs with two runs scored and one stolen base. Kyle Olimpia added two hits and two RBIs, while Xander Sielken recorded one hit and one RBI. Andrew Lehmann drove in one run on two walks, and Conner Smith added one RBI on a sacrifice fly.
 
Hayden Hall started for the Otters, pitching 4 1/3 innings and allowed six hits and five earned runs while striking out four. Preston Kelly (1-0) earned the win with 3 2/3 innings of relief, allowing four hits and one run while striking out two. Jacob Parks recorded his second save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning.
 
Game One
 
The Otters built a 4-3 lead through seven innings, scoring the first three runs of the ballgame.
 
CSUMB scored their first run in the third inning when Xander Sielken's groundout drove in Jordan Hockett. The team added two more runs in the fifth inning when Bobby Benavidez scored on a throwing error, and Jason Del Villar's single to center field scored Andrew Lehmann.
Lehmann contributed again in the seventh with a sacrifice fly that plated Benavidez.
 
The Wildcats scored two runs in the fifth inning and tacked on more in every frame the rest of the way.
 
Daniel Flores worked six innings for the Otters, allowing seven hits and three runs. Relief pitchers Kyle Giovannoni and Giovanni Costello combined for two innings of work, with Costello taking the loss (3-2) after surrendering one run in his inning.
 
The two teams will conclude the series tomorrow at Noon.