SEASIDE, Calif. – San Francisco State scored four runs with two outs in the top of the sixth inning to highlight an 11-5 victory over Cal State Monterey Bay Sunday at Otter Field. 

 

With the win, the Gators raise their record to 8-10 on the season and 3-9 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, taking advantage of five CSUMB errors to even the weekend series at two games apiece. The Otters, meanwhile, slip to 8-12 overall and 5-7 in conference play.

 

Ivan Otsuka went 3-for-5 at the plate with three runs and two RBI to spearhead the SF State offense, while Trevor Pasiecznik finished with two hits, two runs and an RBI. Not to be outdone, the trio of Ben Mielke (two hits, three RBI), Michael Cala (two RBI) and Tyler Tulowitzki  (three runs) also aided the Gator cause.

 

Despite giving up a run in 1 1/3 innings, Steven Dea (2-4) picked up his first victory since the season opener in relief of starter Jason Ochart, who tossed four innings, allowing four runs on five hits and two walks. Matthew Cummins, SF State's second reliever of the day, kept CSUMB off the scoreboard over the final 3 2/3 innings, allowing just one hit and two walks en route to his fourth save of the 2011 campaign.

 

Conversely, reliever Patrick Fletcher (0-1) absorbed the loss for the Otters after yielding five runs (three earned) on two hits and a walk in 1 2/3 innings of work after spelling starter Jacob Crose. Jared DeCastro finished with two hits and two runs, while Tommy George and Ronnie Fhurong added two RBI apiece in the losing effort.

 

The Gators loaded the bases in the top of the second when Mielke was hit by a pitch to score Pasiecznik, while Ochart followed with a walk to bring in Tulowitzki, putting the visitors up 2-0.

 

CSUMB cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the second, but SF State countered with single runs in the third and fourth, stretching the margin to 4-1. Pasiecznik knocked in Kevin Dultz with a sacrifice fly to left. Dultz led off the third with a walk and subsequently took third on Andrew Suvunnachuen's single. In the fourth, Mielke doubled down the left field line, advanced to third on an Ochart grounder and came home shortly thereafter on Drew Andersen's fly out to center.

 

CSUMB pushed across three markers in the bottom of the fourth to knot the score at 4-4, highlighted by Fhurong's two-run single. However, the Gators went ahead to stay in the fifth as Mielke lifted a sacrifice fly to right to bring in Tulowitzki, while Otsuka touched home after an error on a successful steal of second by Ochart, who remained in the game at designated hitter.

 

Leading 6-4, SF State gave itself some breathing room in the sixth, recorded four runs to extend the margin to 10-4. With the bases loaded and two outs, Otsuka drove in Dultz and Paseicnik with a single to center. After Tulowitzki was hit by a pitch, the Otters committed two errors on Cala's grounder, allowing Pasiecznik and Tulowitzki to score.

 

CSUMB tallied a run in the bottom of the frame on Chris Lopiccolo's RBI double and threatened to add more. With two outs and the bases loaded, however, Cummins induced a fielder's choice grounder to end the threat.

 

The Gators tacked on their final run with two outs in the eighth when Otsuka touched the plate on Mielke's single through the right side.

 

SF State returns to the diamond next weekend, March 18-20, when it tackles CCAA foe Cal State East Bay in a four-game series. The two teams will battle each another in single games on Friday and Sunday in Hayward, sandwiched around a doubleheader on Saturday at SF State's Maloney Field.

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