STOCKTON—Michael Lagier paced the dugout, exhorting his teammates for eight-plus innings in yet another exhilarating postseason game between the Chico State and Cal Poly Pomona baseball teams. When his name was called, Lagier ran wild.
 
Inserted as a pinch runner after Tyler Stofiel was hit by a pitch leading off the bottom of the ninth inning of a 3-3 game, Lagier stole second base, took third on a wild pitch, and with two outs and the bases full of Wildcats, sprinted home on another wild pitch to give Chico State a walk-off 4-3 victory in its opening game of the California Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament Wednesday night at Banner Island Ballpark in Stockton.
 
"We were all so excited to see him get a chance to contribute like that and score the winning run," said his roommate Casey Costello, who had a memorable night as well. "He's the definition of a team guy. He never complains about not playing, but when his name is called he's always ready to go make a difference."
 
The victory moved the two-time defending CCAA Tournament Champion Wildcats into Thursday's 7 p.m. winners' bracket against UC San Diego and helped their NCAA Tournament cause immensely. Now 31-20, the Wildcats entered the day ranked No. 6 in the West Region. Sunday night, the NCAA Championship Tournament committee will announce the six teams chosen to represent the West in the NCAA Tournament. Cal Poly Pomona entered the night ranked No. 8. Seventh-ranked Cal State LA lost earlier in the day.
 
Before Lagier donned the cape, Costello and Kyle Blakeman had taken turns saving the day. Costello, who came within an out of throwing a no-hitter against the Broncos in his final start of the season 11 days ago, surrendered two runs on four hits in the first. But he followed that up with seven no-hit innings to keep the Wildcats in the game.

 

"I'm overwhelmed with the toughness he showed tonight, understanding what's at stake this weekend and next weekend," Chico State Head Coach Dave Taylor said. "That was an unbelievably gutty performance from Casey. That is what he's been for us for two years."
 
Costello said he was aware that this could be his final collegiate start and wanted to "leave it all on the field."
 
He did, throwing a career-high 133 pitches on the way to a seven-strikeout performance in which he only walked one. The reigning CCAA and West Region Pitcher of the Year retired 16 straight after surrendering the second run of the game. The senior worked around a leadoff walk in the seventh by getting a long fly ball out and a double play. And in the eighth, after the Broncos got the tying run to second on an error, he got out of the jam with a ground ball to third and a shallow fly ball to center.
 
"I felt like I was making some good pitches (in the first). They were just putting the bat on the ball," Costello said. "Baseball is like that. My teammates were telling me that things looked perfect from their standpoint so I just stuck with it and baseball went the other way."
 
Blakeman tied the game in the third with a towering home run off the scoreboard well beyond the left-center field wall. Of the 12 homers hit in Friday's three games, it was easily the most impressive. And in the seventh, he drove in Turner Olson for the go-ahead run on a two-out single to center. It was his 13th hit in his last 21 at-bats with runners in scoring position.

 
The Wildcats went to the ninth with a 3-2 lead and Jae Wagner, who had allowed just two earned runs in 50.1 innings as a Wildcat, on the mound to close it out.
 
It would not be that easy. Of course not, not with Cal Poly Pomona in the opposing dugout. The Wildcats and the Broncos met twice in the postseason last season, and both games went to the 10th. The Wildcats won the first meeting 8-7 in the CCAA Tournament. The Broncos returned the favor by the same score in the opening game of the NCAA Tournament. The teams split a four-game series at the end of April in Pomona and every game was a nail-biter.
 
Nic Hernandez hit Wagner's third pitch of the night out to right to tie the game. It was just the second home run and fifth extra-base hit allowed by Wagner as a Wildcat.
 
The First Team All-CCAA reliever recovered to retire the next three Broncos and did not have to come out for the 10th, improving to 3-1 with the win.

The remaining CCAA Tournament games will be televised on Eleven Sports USA (DirecTV channel 623 in the Chico area) and streamed online at BAOSN.tv. Every Chico State postseason game will be broadcast on AM-1290 KPAY.
 
GAME NOTES—RJ Hassey joined an elite group of gluttons for punishment when he was hit by a pitch leading off the second. He's the eighth player in the history of the program to be hit at least 20 times in the season and moved into a tie for 10th on the career list with 26…Cameron Santos' single leading off the eighth was the 216th hit of his career, moving him to within 10 of Chico State's all-time hits king, Jeff Walker (2002-05). With that hit, he also moved into second all-time in total bases with 295, breaking a tie with Steve Gotowala (1996-97). Kevin Miller (1987-90) is the record holder with 318…With his no-decision, Costello remains Chico State's winningest pitcher with at least 18 decisions at 18-2 in 29 career starts…Thursday's opponent, UC San Diego, is ranked No. 4 in the West Region…The Wildcats won three of four against the Tritons in the regular season and beat them 12-5 in last year's CCAA Tournament title game…Chico State has now won nine of its last 11 CCAA Tournament games…The Wildcats have won 15 of their last 21 this season.

2018 CCAA Baseball Championship
Banner Island Ballpark | Stockton
Wednesday, May 9
Game 1 – 11 a.m. – No. 1 Cal State Monterey Bay 14, No. 6 San Francisco State 11
Game 2 – 3 p.m. – No. 2 UC San Diego 19, No. 5 Cal State LA 1
Game 3 – 7 p.m. –  No. 3 Chico State 4, No. 4 Cal Poly Pomona 3

Thursday, May 10
Game 4 – 11 a.m. – San Francisco State vs. Cal State LA (elimination game)
Game 5 – 3 p.m. – Cal State Monterey Bay vs. Cal Poly Pomona (possible elimination)
Game 6 – 7 p.m. – UC San Diego vs. Chico State

Friday, May 11 (If four teams remain after Thursday)
Game 7 – 11 a.m. – winner of Game 5 vs. winner of Game 6
Game 8 – 3 p.m. – winner of Game 4 vs. loser of Game 6 (elimination game)
Game 9 – 7 p.m. – loser of Game 7 vs. winner of Game 8 (elimination game)

Friday, May 11 (If five teams remain after Thursday)
Game 7 – 11 a.m. – loser of Game 5 vs. loser of Game 6 (elimination game)
Game 8 – 3 p.m. – winner of Game 4 vs. winner of Game 5 (elimination game)
Game 9 – 7 p.m. – winner of Game 6 vs. winner of Game 7 (possible elimination game)

Saturday, May 12 (if four teams remain after Thursday and two teams remain after Friday)
Game 10 – 12 p.m. – Championship: winner of Game 7 vs. winner of Game 8
Game 11 – 4 p.m. – Championship rematch: if necessary

Saturday, May 12  (if three teams remain after Friday)
Game 10 – 12 p.m. – winner of Game 8 vs. winner of Game 9
Game 11 – 4 p.m. – Championship: winner of game 10 vs. loser of Game 9