Carson, CA -- Deja vu nearly happened all over again, but Cal State Monterey Bay hurler Jessica Boyle out-dueled CSUDH's Jennifer Martinez (La Habra, CA/Cal State Long Beach) to the tune of a 2-0 Otter game one win, forcing the Toros to settle for a split as they took a convincing 5-1 nightcap.
The two hurlers matched one another pitch for pitch, allowing a combined three hits in the first 3 innings of play. Similar to yesterday's CCAA Conference opener, CSUMB broke through for two runs in the 4th frame, with the big blows coming on a Kaitlyn Baca RBI double and an Alixis Villarin sacrifice fly.
Unlike yesterday, however, the Toros weren't able to mount a late-inning rally as they managed just five hits in the game. Boyle would up with four strikeouts against no walks while Martinez suffered her first loss in four games against the Otters, fanning four against two walks.
In the nightcap, however, CSUDH's bats awoke in the first inning as they plated three runs for a quick 3-0 lead. After Erika Gonzalez (Los Angeles, CA/Bishop Amat HS) singled to begin the frame, a Jennifer Frazier (Buena Park, CA/John F. Kennedy HS) single one out later set the stage for J. Martinez, who promptly banged a double to the left-center gap for the game's first run. Christine Bathauer (Torrance, CA/West HS), who sent yesterday's fans home early with her blast in the 8-0 rout of the Otters, then stepped to the plate, and sent a sharp single off the glove of CSUMB's 3B, sending both runners across the plate for a 3-0 lead.
CSUDH wasted little time in adding to its cushion as Bathauer's sacrifice fly two innings later gave the Toros a 4-0 lead, after which CSUDH put together three hits in the 4th to bring home another run, giving them a 5-0 advantage.
The Otters would finally find their way against J. Martinez in the 6th as Eliana Cortes ripped a booming double to begin the frame, crossing the plate three batters later on a Toro error.
That would be the extent of the Otter offense, however, as J. Martinez would subdue CSUMB's bats to end the game to give the Toros a 4-1 regular season series edge over their northern California counterparts.
On the afternoon, J. Martinez led the way with three hits, while Bathauer's two RBI paced the CSUDH run producers. In the circle, the Long Beach State transfer fanned seven against three walks as she improved to 5-4 on the year.
CSUDH packs its bags for Phoenix next weekend as the Toros take part in the Schutt Lead Off Classic, scheduled for February 15-17, before traveling to Humboldt State the weekend of February 23-24.
