CHICO – The No. 12-ranked Cal State Monterey Bay baseball team earned the road series split by downing Chico State, 13-3, Sunday afternoon at Nettleton Stadium. After the victory, the Otters improve to 34-12 overall and 19-9 in CCAA play.
 
CSUMB broke through in the fourth inning when Jordan Hockett's double to right center sparked the rally, followed by Conner Smith's single and Xander Sielken's RBI single to cap a six-run inning and give the Otters a 6-1 advantage.
 
The Otter offense exploded again in the eighth inning with a seven-run surge. Sielken's two-run single, James Starkus's single, Jason Del Villar's triple down the right field line, and Conner Smith's single put the game completely out of reach at 13-1.
 
Andrew Kotin delivered a dominant pitching performance, allowing six hits and one run over seven innings while striking out three to earn the win and improve his record to 9-1.
 
Sielken led the CSUMB bats with two hits and three RBI. Smith contributed two hits and three RBI, while Del Villar recorded one hit and two RBIs with his triple. Hockett added two hits and one RBI with his double, Kyle Olimpia recorded two hits and one RBI, and  Starkus contributed two hits an RBI.
 
The Otters will return home to host the final regular season series of the year when Stanislaus State heads to Seaside for a four-game set. The series opener is scheduled for Thursday, April 30, with first pitch slated for 3 p.m.