Despite what the final scores seem to indicate, Friday's doubleheader sweep of Chico State was not exactly a walk in the park for the 27^th ranked Cal State Monterey Bay baseball team. The Otters did get their steps in, however.
 
Chico State pitchers walked 21—10 in an 8-1 loss in the opener and 11 more in a 13-6 loss in the nightcap.
 
Both games were exceedingly more competitive than the final score indicated, but the free passes plagued the Wildcats, who fell to 4-7 overall and 0-6 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). Cal State Monterey Bay (10-6, 8-2) extended its winning streak to eight games.
 
The opener was scoreless until the Otters plated single runs in the third, fourth, and fifth, and then took complete control with two more runs in the seventh.
 
Chico State seemed primed to take an early lead, getting runners to first and third with one down in the second and second and third with one down in the third, but stranded a pair each time.
 
Trailing 5-0 in the eighth, the Wildcats had a chance to get back into the game after loading the bases with one out. But Dustin Miller's sacrifice fly plated the only run of the inning.
 
Brandon Hernandez, Turner Olson, and Jorge Perez paced the offense with two hits apiece. Starting pitcher Andrew Lopez, who allowed three runs on four hits and four walks, while striking out three, took the loss, falling to 0-1. Wildcats relievers walked six in the final three-plus innings.
 
The Wildcats did grab a lead in the nightcap thanks to a four-run third. Perez opened the inning with a base hit, JT Navarro ripped a one-out single to left, and Hernandez laid down a beautiful sacrifice bunt to plate Perez. Otters pitcher Greg Steinbeck's throw hit Hernandez as he approached first base, setting up a second and third with one out scenario. Eddie Zavala and Alex DeVito followed with RBI singles, and Zavala later came around to score on a passed ball.
 
Cal State Monterey Bay cut the lead in half with a two-run fourth, aided by three walks and a wild pitch.
 
But the Wildcats got a run back in the bottom half of the frame. Myles Moran led off the inning with a double and came around to score when Tyler Grissom slashed a double down the right field line.
 
Cal State Monterey Bay scored three more in the fifth with help from two walks and a hit batter to knot the score at 5 apiece. Once again, the Wildcats got a run back, re-taking the lead in the bottom half of the inning. Miller started things with a one-out, one-hop double off the wall in left field, and Olson blooped a single into right to drive him in.
 
That was the final time the Wildcats would taste the lead, however.
 
A leadoff walk sparked the Otters' go-ahead, two-run rally, which was fanned into flame by a muffed throw at second base on what looked like a great opportunity for a double play.
 
Cal State Monterey Bay scored six more times in the seventh, on only three hits, to run away and hide.
 
All nine hitters in the Chico State lineup finished with one hit apiece. Wildcats starter William Curless was lifted with two down in the fifth. He allowed five runs—three earned—on five hits and six walks. He also struck out six. Alex Kent (0-3) took the loss.
 
The series is scheduled to continue with a single game Saturday at 1 p.m., and conclude with a single game Sunday at noon.