SEASIDE, Calif.---  The 20^th ranked Cal State Monterey Bay Otters (14-7, 10-3 CCAA) scored seven runs in their first inning to key the hosts 11-5 victory over the visiting Stan State Warriors this evening at the Otter Sports Complex in Seaside, Calif.  JD Madrigal led the Warriors as he went two-for-four, driving in three runs, scoring twice, and hitting two home runs.  Madrigal was one of three Warriors with multiple-hit games along with Alex Solis and Tyler Van Dyk.
 
The Otters scored seven runs on eight hits and one Warrior error in the bottom of the first inning to take a 7-0 lead.  
 
Stan State (8-11-1, 4-7 CCAA) cut the Otter lead to 7-2 with a two-run second inning.  Tyler Van Dyk had a one-out double to right center.  He scored on a two-out two-run home run to right center by JD Madrigal.  The score remained 7-2 Otters until the Warrior half of the fifth inning.  With one out, Madrigal hit his second home run of the game on a 0-2 count over the center field fence to cut the Warrior deficit to 7-3.
 
Cal State Monterey Bay added another run in the bottom of the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Brady Miguel which brought in JJ Engman with the Otters' eighth run of the game.  Engman reached base on a one-out double and went to third on a wild pitch.  He scored on Miguel's sacrifice fly.
 
The Warriors cut the Otter lead to 8-4 with a run in the sixth inning.  Alex Solis had a lead-off double and went to third on a one-out single by Van Dyk.  He scored on a wild pitch.  The Otters stranded Van Dyk at second as Nate Rohlicek struck out the next Warrior and induced the final batter to fly out to right field to end the Stan State scoring threat.
 
Once again, the Otters came back, and this time scored two runs to take a 10-4 in their half of the sixth inning.  
 
The Warriors cut their deficit to 10-5 with a run in the seventh inning.  Chris Catalano reached base on an Otter error.  He went to second on a Solis single.  Catalano scored on a two-out single by Kyle Rachels.  Otter reliever, Daniel Flores, induced the next batter to foul out to third base to preserve the hosts' 10-5 lead.
 
Nico Hartojo's sacrifice fly brought in Jaden Sheppard with the Otters' eleventh run of the game to take a 11-5 lead in the bottom of the seventh inning.  The hosts held the Warriors scoreless in the final two innings to take the 11-5 series opening victory.
 
WARRIOR HITTERS:  Three Stan State Warriors had multiple-hit games in JD Madrigal, Alex Solis, and Tyler Van Dyk.  Madrigal was two-for-four with three runs batted in, a run scored, and two home runs.  Solis was two-for-five with a run scored while Van Dyk was two-for-four with a run scored.  Each Warrior had a double.
 
STAN STATE PITCHERS:  JoJo Keldsen (0-2) suffered the loss for the Warriors in the start this evening.  Patrick Sweeney pitched five innings of relief, giving up eight hits, three runs, striking out two and walking three.  Damian Vallejos pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and walking a batter.  Quinn Oliver pitched two innings of relief, giving up one hit and one unearned run while striking out one and walking two.  
 
UP NEXT:  Stan State will continue its four-game series with the nationally ranked Otters tomorrow with a 2:00 p.m. starting doubleheader in Seaside, Calif.  The two teams will finish off the four-game series this Sunday, March 17 at noon.  The Warriors will return home, March 22-24, when they host Cal State East Bay in a four-game series at Warrior Field.