Last week softball coach Cristina Byrne said the Gators needed to keep their destiny in their own hands.

This weekend she watched as they let their destiny slip right through their fingers and into someone else's grasp after suffering a four game series sweep by CSU Monterey Bay.

"We had the opportunity to win all four games, but we just didn't get the clutch hits we needed," Byrne said. "We had the lead and let them get it back."

The Gators (26-22, 12-16 California Collegiate Athletic Association) dropped from a three-way tie for fourth place all the way down to seventh in the tightly packed conference. While the sweep doesn't yet mean the Gators miss the playoffs, they are walking a fine line heading into this weekend's series against the country's No. 16 team, UC San Diego.

The top four CCAA teams advance to the conference championships, so this weekend the Gators will need to win at least two of four games—maybe even three—to feel comfortable about their chances. If they don't, there will be a lot of scoreboard watching in the final days of league play.

"Our team can beat anyone if we play the way we know how, and practice this week will be good in getting us ready for [UC] San Diego," freshman pitcher Kendra Wood said. "Since we have seen them once before I think that it will help us."

The purple and gold didn't just lie down against the Otters, as two of the four games went into extra innings with the Gators coming up on the short end of the stick both times, 4-3.

"It was heartbreaking not to get a couple of those wins," Byrne said. "I though that we could overcome that and play spoiler instead of being spoiled, but we just didn't come through with the clutch hits we needed."

Now this young team must learn how to finish games, as each loss from here on out will chip away at their postseason aspirations.

In game one, the Otters got off to a quick 3-0 lead in the first two innings lead by a two-run home run by Shae Olds. SF State closed the gap with one run in each of the fourth and fifth innings to make it 3-2.

Olds struck back in the sixth with a two-out RBI single to extend the Otter lead 5-2. Angela Cabral (16-7) shut down the Gators the rest of the way for the complete game win.

Wood (10-7) took the loss giving up five runs (three earned) and seven hits.

In the night cap, the Gators scored first on an RBI single by Kendra Wood to take the early lead.

Jill Artoff gave the Otters the 2-1 lead with a two-run RBI single in the fourth inning.

In the seventh, the Gators stormed back to take the lead 3-2 on a two-out two-run RBI double by Lea Cardenas. But in the Otters' last at-bat, they were able to tie the score 3-3 after the Otters' Erin Tate was hit with a pitch in a bases-loaded situation.

Monterey Bay won the game in the tenth on a two-out RBI single by Rachelle Morales to give the Otters the 4-3 victory.

The next day senior Danielle Chapman jump started the Gator offense with solo home runs in the first and second innings. Wood added an RBI double in the second to give the Gators an early 3-0 lead.

The Otters scored twice in the third and tied it on an RBI single by Jessica Boyle in the fifth.

In extra innings, Olds stuck it to the Gators once again with an RBI single to give the Otters the game 4-3.

In the next game Olds stayed scorching hot with a solo home run in the second inning. With one run in the third and two more in the fifth, the Otters built a 4-0 lead.

The Gators cut the deficit in half with a two-run double by Kelsey Wood to make it 4-2. However, Olds wasn't finished tormenting the Gator pitchers as she launched a two-run blast to centerfield to give the Otters a 6-2 lead.

Monterey Bay shut down the Gators the rest of the way with the help of Angela Cabral (17-8) to the tune of seven innings pitched allowing only two runs and six hits.

Kendra Wood (10-7) took the loss pitching four innings giving up four runs (three earned) while striking out two and walking three.

Monica Amburgey tore her ACL and will be out the rest of the season.

The Gators will host UC San Diego this weekend beginning Friday at 1 p.m. at the SF State Softball Field. On Saturday it will be Senior Day for the softball team with the ceremony beginning at 10:45 a.m.