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TURLOCK, Calif. — The No. 16 Cal State Monterey Bay softball team brought home its first championship of 2012, winning twice Sunday to capture the title at the Tournament of Champions presented by Mizuno.

CSUMB (30-7 overall) defeated Saint Martin's University 5-1 in the semifinals before withstanding a furious rally by Grand Canyon to take the championship game 6-5 at Pedretti Park.

“This is arguably the best in-season tournament in Division II softball, so to win a title here means so much,” says CSUMB Head Coach Andrea Kenney. “To beat a team as talented and well coached as Grand Canyon in the final just makes it that much more special.”

Making her first start since working her way back from injury, freshman Cori Reinhardt (Riverside Poly) didn't allow an earned run in four innings of the championship game to earn her 13th win of the season. Senior Jessica Moon (Torrance HS) came in to strike out a pair of Antelopes and put out a fire in the sixth before pitching a scoreless seventh to earn her first save.

With Reinhardt rolling early, Nina Villanueva's (San Diego/Mt. Carmel HS) team leading ninth home run in the bottom of the first, a two-run shot, seemed put the Otters in control. But the CSUMB offense missed numerous opportunities to put the game away, stranding 12 runners through five innings while leaving the bases loaded three times.

Nevertheless, the Otters extended their lead thanks in large part to Nicole Pires' (Ontario/Colony HS) lead off solo shot and a two-run single from Jamie Moon (Torrance HS) in the fifth inning that brought the CSUMB advantage to 6-1.

But GCU nearly made the Otters pay for their missed chances. Five consecutive hits, including a two-run double by Haley Walker, resulted in a four-run outburst that brought the Antelopes to within 6-5.

Moon came on in relief and fanned Kara Holtorff for the second out before disaster nearly struck. With two outs, she got cleanup hitter Lauren Register to hit a foul pop between home and first. The home plate umpire lost sight of the ball and bailed out down the first base line and right into a trio of Otters converging to make the play, allowing the ball to fall and giving Regester new life. Moon buckled down, however, and got Regester to strike out swinging to end the threat.

GCU had one last gasp in the seventh when a walk and a single with two outs put the go-ahead run on base for Walker, who had the big hit the previous inning. This time, Moon fooled her for a check swing third strike to end the game.

The Otters advanced to the championship game with a 5-1 win over red-hot Saint Martin's behind the third pitching gem of the weekend from senior Caitlin Wallace (Beaverton, Ore./College of the Redwoods). Wallace scattered four hits in five scoreless innings to improve to 5-2 on the season. Alyssa Rivera (Fontana/Riverside CC) provided her with all the run support she would need by poking a two-RBI single to right in the fourth inning.

Villanueva's RBI single ignited a three-run fifth inning that put the game on ice. That single, plus her home run in the title, game give Villanueva 44 RBIs for the season, tying her with Shea Olds (2009) for the most RBIs in an Otter season.

CSUMB returns to Turlock Friday and Saturday (April 6-7) when it returns to California Collegiate Athletic Association action with a pair of doubleheaders against Cal State Stanislaus.