Story by Oscar Daniel Jimenez Iniguez and Anastasia Swann
The California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) men’s baseball team lost three of their home-opening games against visiting Point Loma Nazarene 22-6, 13-3, and 9-6 on Feb. 10-11 in what was supposed to be a four-game series cut short due to heavy rain before the final game.
With cold winds and rain pouring down on the Otter Sports Complex baseball field and support from a large turnout of loud and rowdy fans, anticipation for the #25 ranked Otters against the #4 ranked Sea Lions was high.
The Otters, coming off splitting a series with Azusa Pacific University, were eager to play and test their talents against another highly ranked and esteemed team. However, the Otters did not match the Sea-Lions level of play as they were outmanned and outplayed in every aspect, with Point Loma ultimately proving to be the best team.
Regardless, the Otters put up a fight and were still in all of the games early on. In the end, the Sea-Lions scored multiple runs at the end of each game which extinguished the Otters chances for a comeback.
Some key notable Otters for the four-game series were Nico Hartojo (#8) for hitting, Nate Rohlicek (#15) for pitching and Jacob Dressler (#10) for fielding.
Hartojo went to bat three times in Friday’s second game, got on base each time and scored twice. Rohlicek had six strikeouts and gave up only two earned runs over the course of the four innings he pitched. Dressler alone had 11 putouts—meaning he completed 11 outs by catching batted balls, tagging the runner, stepping in a base for a force out, or more.
The Otters fell to 2-5, while the Sea-Lions improved to 7-1.
The Otters will play in their first California Collegiate Athletic Association game this season against Stanislaus State in a four-game series on Feb. 24-26 at Warrior Baseball Field in Turlock.
