When Ben Gamba was batting just .226 with four RBI and no extra-base hits 10 games into the season, he seemed to be the only everyday player that Chico State fans were concerned about.
Turns out it was much ado about nothing. Gamba has batted .485 with three home runs, five doubles and 23 RBI in the 16 games since. The Wildcat of the Week stayed hot during Chico State's three-game sweep of UC San Diego over the weekend, going 6-for-13 with a team-high five RBI as the Wildcats climbed into the top spot in the California Collegiate Athletic Association North Division Standings.
The Wildcats trailed 5-2 early in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader before Gamba led the charge in the come-from-behind win. He singled leading off the fifth and scored, singled home a run in the sixth, and then tied the game in the eighth on a deep sacrifice fly. Gamba finished 2-for-4 with a walk in Chico State's 7-6 victory.
In the nightcap, Gamba went 3-for-5 and drove in three runs. His RBI-single in the third gave Chico State the lead. And just when UC San Diego had the look of a team with a big comeback on its mind, Gamba's two-run double in the eighth effectively sealed the Wildcats' 7-2 win.
Gamba currently ranks second in the CCAA in RBI and on-base percentage, sixth in batting average, and eighth in hits.
The Wildcats, ranked No. 22 in the nation, take a six-game winning streak into a three-game series at Cal State San Marcos this weekend.
