Chico State starting pitcher Grant Larson got the Wildcats off to a good start in Friday's season opener, firing six shutout innings and striking out six to earn the win in a 2-1 victory at Fresno Pacific. Larson, a junior from San Diego's High Tech High school, has earned Wildcat of the Week honors for his efforts.
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The 6-foot-7 left-hander allowed only three singles and retired all eight Sunbirds who came to the plate with a runner on base. He also picked off a runner at first.
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After allowing a single to start the game, Larson did not give up another hit until the fifth. He retired 12 of the next 13 hitters, five via strikeout, including the third inning in which he set the Sunbirds down 1-2-3 on swinging strikes. Larson's first strikeout of the day, leading off the bottom of the second, was the 100th of his career.
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Larson finished the day 36 strikeouts shy of breaking into the school's career top 10 in that category.
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Larson and the Wildcats are back in action this week for their 2019 home opener. They'll face Simpson University for a three-game series currently scheduled to start with a single game Friday at 2 p.m. and wrap up with a doubleheader Saturday at noon. However, due to wet weather in the forecast for this weekend, the start of that series might be moved up.
