STOCKTON – The Chico State baseball team's NCAA Championship Tournament fate was hanging in the balance heading into the California Collegiate Athletic Association Championship Tournament. Now the Wildcats will be hanging a banner.
 
Chico State beat Cal State East Bay 10-9 in Saturday's title game at Banner Island Ballpark in Stockton to claim the conference championship banner and clinch the program's 15^th NCAA Championships berth in 21 seasons.
 
"You come to Chico State to win championships," said Chico State Head Coach Dave Taylor. "I'm thrilled they got the opportunity to win this championship, which is only going to make us better and more prepared for the NCAA Tournament and beyond."
 
Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player Dillon Kelley went 3-for-5 with two doubles, two runs and an RBI. Kelley finished the tournament 10-for-18 with two home runs, two doubles, five RBI and seven runs scored.
 
Ben Gamba's two-run homer ignited a four-run rally in the third that gave Chico State the lead for good. Jerrett Maas added two hits and two RBI in his first postseason start, and Braxton Phillips smoked a pinch-hit two-run double inside the bag at third during the Wildcats' four-run fifth.
 
Stuart Bradley (6-2) came on in relief of starter Colton Fletcher in the first inning and went two-and-a-third innings to get the win. But Grant Wright was the star on the mound. Making his fifth straight appearance in the Wildcats' five postseason games, Wright allowed just one unearned run in his first five innings of work before running out of gas in the ninth.
 
The Pioneers trailed 10-4 heading into the bottom of the ninth. They scored twice against Wright and had two runners on when Zach Smart got summoned to finish the game. He got his first collegiate save, but it didn't come easy.
 
Smart got two quick outs but then Rob Link hit a three-run homer to pull the Pioneers within 10-9.
 
Smart got a grounder to first on his first pitch to the next batter to finish the game and the Wildcats' quest for their first CCAA Tournament title since 2006 and fourth all-time.
 
"That six slot is a sketchy spot to be in Sunday at 7 o'clock," said Taylor. "Our guys wanted to do this thing themselves and not leave it up to anybody else. They closed the deal."
 
Now all that's left for the Wildcats to learn about their spot in the NCAA Championship Tournament West Regional is their seed. They will get that information during the NCAA Championship Selection Show Sunday night at 7 p.m. The show will be broadcast online at http://www.ncaa.com/liveschedule/2016/05/15.
 
2016 CCAA Championship Tournament
Banner Island Ballpark – Stockton, California
 
Wednesday, May 11
Game 1 – 11:00 a.m.: No. 6 Chico State 6, No. 1 Cal Poly Pomona 2
Game 2 – 3:00 p.m.: No. 2 Cal State East Bay 13, No. 5 Cal State San Bernardino
Game 3 – 7:00 p.m.: No. 3 Cal State Monterey Bay 11, No. 4 UC San Diego 7
 
Thursday, May 12
Game 4 – 11:00 a.m.: Cal Poly Pomona 6, Cal State San Bernardino 2 (San Bernardino eliminated)
Game 5 – 3:00 p.m.: UC San Diego 7, Chico State 6
Game 6 – 7:00 p.m.: Cal State East Bay 9, Cal State Monterey Bay 8
 
Friday, May 13
Game 7 – 11:00 a.m.: Chico State 4, Cal State Monterey Bay 2 (Cal State Monterey Bay eliminated)
Game 8 – 3:00 p.m.: Cal Poly Pomona 9, UC San Diego 6 (UC San Diego eliminated)
Game 9 – 7:00 p.m.: Chico State 4, Cal State East Bay 2
 
Saturday, May 14
Game 10 – 12:00 p.m.: Cal State East Bay 7, Cal Poly Pomona 4 (Cal Poly Pomona eliminated)
Game 11 – 4:00 p.m.: Chico State 10, Cal State East Bay 4 (Wildcats – CCAA Champions!)
 
2016 CCAA Championship All-Tournament Team
Kevin Davidson, Cal State Monterey Bay
Steven Coe, UC San Diego
Max Bethell, Cal Poly Pomona
Nic Hernandez, Cal Poly Pomona
Ryan Webberley, Cal Poly Pomona
Rudy Navarro, Cal State East Bay
Alex Vesia, Cal State East Bay
Nick Sergi, Cal State East Bay
Grant Wright, Chico State
Hunter Haworth, Chico State
Cody Bistline, Chico State
 
MVP – Dillon Kelley, Chico State