Chico State junior hurler Braeden Gowdy gave up only one run on two hits in six innings of work, virtually silencing one of the hottest offenses in the West Region and helping lift the Wildcats to a 2-1 win in Saturday's series finale against Fresno Pacific at Nettleton Stadium.
The visiting Sunbirds, who still leads the PacWest Conference in batting average, had scored 48 runs in their first five games of the season when Gowdy took the hill Saturday afternoon in his Nettleton Stadium debut. The transfer from Cuesta College did not allow a hit until there were two down in the fourth and gave up his lone run, on a solo home run, leading off the fifth. Gowdy struck out eight and walked only two.
After hitting the first batter of the game and walking the next, Gowdy struck out the next five and retired the next 10.
In his first two Chico State starts, Gowdy has allowed only three hits in 10 innings of work while striking out 13. Opponents are hitting only .094 against the right-hander, which ranks third in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) and is tops among those who have thrown at least eight innings.
Gowdy's next start will likely come back at Nettleton Stadium this weekend when the Wildcats open conference play against San Francisco State. The series begins with a single game Friday at 2 p.m., continues with Saturday's noon doubleheader, and concludes with a single game Sunday at 11 a.m.
