SEASIDE—Two teams ranked nationally in the Top 20. Two teams that going into the weekend had combined for 14 wins in 17 tries. Two teams that are the favorites to battle for California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) softball supremacy. Those two teams, Chico State and Cal State Monterey Bay, went head-to-head Friday in the first two games of a conference season-opening series, and predictably, they came away even in a doubleheader split. The No. 19 Wildcats won the first game 2-0, with the No. 12 Otters taking the nightcap 7-0 at the Otter Sports Complex in Seaside.
 
The twin bill split leaves Chico State with a 9-3 season record, while Cal State Monterey Bay moves to 7-2 overall. Both teams are 1-1 in CCAA play.
 
Reilani Peleti collected three of Chico State's seven hits on the day. The only other Wildcat to enjoy a multi-hit day was Brooke Larsen, who went 2-for-2 in the first game of the double dip. But as is usually the case, it was Larsen's performance in the pitcher's circle that garnered the most attention.
 
The doubleheader's first game featured an entertaining pitcher's duel between Larsen and Cal State Monterey Bay's Cassie Gasper. Chico State scratched out a run in the top of the second inning—singles by Larsen and Amanda Metzger and a walk to Grace Stover loaded the bases, then two batters later Angel Lopez drew a free pass, forcing home Larsen and giving the Wildcats a 1-0 lead.
 
Monterey Bay had chances to get on the scoreboard—the Otters stranded the tying run at third base in the third inning, left two aboard in the fourth, and wasted a leadoff walk in the fifth—but each time Larsen was able to deftly maneuver her way out of trouble.
 
Chico State added another run in the top of the sixth inning when pinch-runner Anastacia Alba scored from third on Nina Revoir's single to center.
 
That would be all the support Larsen would need to close out the game. The righthander retired Monterey Bay in order in the bottom of the sixth, and though a two-out single brought the potential tying run to the plate in the seventh, Larsen fanned Ally Alcayaga for the final out, giving Chico State the 2-0 victory.
 
Larsen went the distance for the seventh time this year and recorded her third shutout of the campaign, scattering four hits and striking out seven to raise her season record to 6-1.
 
The nightcap belonged to Monterey Bay. Though they stranded the bases loaded in the bottom of the first inning, the Otters didn't come away empty in the second, as a walk, hit batter, and two Wildcat errors contributed to a five-run uprising.
 
The 'Cats, meanwhile, could get nothing going offensively against Monterey Bay starting pitcher Jensen Main. The transfer from Division I Sacramento State allowed just four Wildcat batters to reach base, with singles by Lopez in the second inning and Peleti in the sixth accounting for the lone Chico State hits.
 
The Otters added to their lead with two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, and Main took it from there, completing the shutout by retiring Chico State in order in the top of the seventh inning to secure the 7-0 win and the doubleheader split.
 
Though she allowed just two earned runs, Wildcats Mari Takeda Bajan was saddled with the loss to even her season record at 1-1.
 
The Wildcats and Otters wrap up their four-game set Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. Fans can follow the action online with Live Stats. Live video broadcasts of the games are available for purchase on the CCAA Network. For $9.95 per month, fans can access every Chico State game—home and away—along with all live and archived CCAA matchups.
 
Links to streaming video and Live Stats are available at www.chicowildcats.com in the calendar section of the website's homepage, and on the softball schedule page.