ROHNERT PARK, Calif. – The 2nd-ranked Sonoma State baseball team woke up Sunday morning riding a school-record 23-game winning streak. They'll go to bed tonight with a season-long two-game losing streak after Chico State swept a doubleheader from the Seawolves. The Wildcats got wins of 5-2 and 5-4 behind the complete-game efforts of pitchers Mike Robbins and Andrew Pluta and some clutch two-out hitting.
Chico State, which entered the weekend ranked No. 16 in the nation, improved to 23-9 overall and 12-7 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association with the wins. They also rebounded from losses to the Seawolves on Friday and Saturday to earn the weekend split. Sonoma State fell to 29-3 overall and 16-2 in the CCAA with their first two conference losses and first two home losses of the season.
Sonoma State's offense entered the day averaging 10 runs on 13 hits per game, but Robbins limited them to just two runs on nine hits in nine complete innings to improve to 6-1 on the season. He struck out eight and walked three while working out of bases-loaded jams in the sixth and ninth innings. After allowing Travis Babin's two-run double in the second, he shut out Sonoma State over the final seven innings.
Pluta recorded his fourth consecutive complete-game victory in the nightcap, allowing four runs on four hits to improve to 6-2 on the season. He struck out four, walked one, and retired 14 of the last 16 hitters he faced.
Joey Burke sparked the Wildcats offense, and perhaps their entire team by leading off the opening game with a home run - the first of his career. Babin's two-run double gave Sonoma State the lead momentarily in the second inning. Chico State tied the game in the top of the third when Shane Farmer led off with a single, stole second base, and eventually scored on Jimmy Dodos' two-out base hit.
Nick Liedel's two-out RBI-double plated Farmer, the go-ahead run, in the fifth. They added insurance runs in the sixth on Cody Dee's two-out RBI-single and in the eighth when Nick Dingman was hit by a pitch with two down and the bases loaded.
Two singles and a walk against Robbins loaded the bases for Sonoma State with two out in the bottom of the ninth, but the Wildcats' southpaw got Seawolves cleanup hitter Tyrese McDaniel to fly out to end the game.
The Wildcats again took the lead in the first inning of the nightcap when Burke drew a leadoff walk and came around to score on Josh Meagher's two-out hit. Sonoma State scored three runs in the third to momentarily take the lead, but the Wildcats scrapped together four runs in the fourth take reclaim control of the game and open up a 5-3 lead.
Dee walked to lead off the inning, Dingman was hit by a pitch, and then Travis DeCoito singled to load the bases. Farmer was hit by a pitch to plate one run and then pinch-hitter Kevin Seaver hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 3-apiece. DeCoito, who had moved up to third base on Seaver's deep fly ball, scored on a balk to make it 4-3. Dodos' two-out single plated Farmer with what proved to be the winning run.
Sonoma State trimmed the lead to 5-4 with a single run in the fifth, but Pluta retired the Seawolves in order in the sixth and seventh to secure the victory.
Dodos, who finished the nightcap 2-for-4, was the only Wildcats with multiple hits. Dee and Farmer notched two hits apiece in the first game.
Chico State will be back in action at home next weekend for a four-game series with Cal Poly Pomona. They'll face off Friday at 6 p.m., in a doubleheader Saturday at noon, and in a single game Sunday at noon.
Box Score - Game 1
2008 Sonoma State Baseball
#16 Chico State at #2 Sonoma State (Game 1)
Mar 30, 2008 at Rohnert Park, Ca (Seawolf Diamond)
Chico State 5 (22-9,11-7 CCAA)
Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB
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BURKE lf................. 4 1 1 1 1 1 2 0 1
DODOS rf................. 4 0 1 1 1 1 3 0 1
RINGER 3b................ 4 1 1 0 0 1 0 5 0
MEAGHER c................ 4 1 1 0 0 0 8 0 0
DEE dh................... 4 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0
DINGMAN 1b............... 3 0 0 1 0 0 11 0 1
DeCOITO 2b............... 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 4 3
FARMER cf................ 4 2 2 0 0 0 1 0 0
EVELAND ss............... 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
LIEDEL ss............... 3 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0
ROBBINS p................ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Totals................... 35 5 9 5 2 6 27 12 6
Sonoma State 2 (29-2,16-1 CCAA)
Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
HERMAN, Dave 2b.......... 5 0 0 0 0 0 4 2 2
NOSTI, Nick cf........... 5 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0
HAYCOCK, Kris ss......... 4 0 0 0 1 2 0 6 0
McDANIEL, Tyrese lf...... 5 1 1 0 0 1 3 0 3
PESTORICH, Mark rf....... 4 1 2 0 0 1 1 0 1
BRIDGES, Ian c........... 4 0 1 0 0 2 7 2 0
HOWELL, Trevor dh........ 4 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 1
OTAKE, Vance 1b.......... 1 0 0 0 2 1 10 0 0
ADLER, David ph......... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
BABIN, Travis 3b......... 4 0 2 2 0 0 0 2 4
MORAN, Gary p............ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
BROWN, Troy p........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Totals................... 37 2 9 2 3 8 27 12 11
Score by Innings R H E
-------------------------------------------
Chico State......... 101 011 010 - 5 9 2
Sonoma State........ 020 000 000 - 2 9 1
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E - LIEDEL 2; HAYCOCK. DP - Seawolves 1. LOB - Chico 6; Seawolves 11. 2B -
LIEDEL; BABIN. HR - BURKE(1). HBP - DINGMAN. SB - FARMER. CS - DODOS.
Chico State IP H R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
ROBBINS............. 9.0 9 2 2 3 8 37 40
Sonoma State IP H R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
MORAN, Gary......... 6.0 7 4 4 1 3 23 24
BROWN, Troy......... 3.0 2 1 0 1 3 12 14
Win - ROBBINS (6-1). Loss - MORAN (3-1). Save - None.
HBP - by BROWN (DINGMAN). BK - MORAN.
Umpires -
Start: 12:00 Time: 2:55 Attendance: 484
Box Score - Game 2
2008 Sonoma State Baseball
#16 Chico State at #2 Sonoma State (Game 2)
Mar 30, 2008 at Rohnert Park, Ca (Seawolf Diamond)
Chico State 5 (23-9,12-7 CCAA)
Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
BURKE lf................. 3 1 1 0 1 1 3 0 0
DODOS rf................. 4 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 0
RINGER 3b................ 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1
MEAGHER dh............... 4 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2
DEE c.................... 2 1 0 0 1 1 4 0 1
DINGMAN 1b............... 2 1 0 0 0 1 8 0 0
DeCOITO 2b............... 3 1 1 0 0 0 2 1 0
FARMER cf................ 2 1 1 1 0 1 3 0 0
LIEDEL ss................ 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1
SEAVER ph............... 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
EVELAND ss.............. 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 0
PLUTA p.................. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Totals................... 26 5 6 4 2 5 21 9 5
Sonoma State 4 (29-3,16-2 CCAA)
Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
HERMAN, Dave 3b.......... 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
NOSTI, Nick cf........... 4 1 1 1 0 1 3 0 0
HAYCOCK, Kris ss......... 2 1 1 1 0 1 0 3 0
McDANIEL, Tyrese lf...... 2 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0
PESTORICH, Mark rf....... 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
BRIDGES, Ian 1b.......... 3 0 1 0 0 1 11 0 1
JONES, Kyle dh........... 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
THIEME, Konrad c......... 3 0 0 0 0 1 5 0 2
ADLER, David 2b.......... 2 1 0 0 1 0 1 4 0
ASSELIN, Kevin p......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
FOCKLER, Tyler p........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Totals................... 26 4 4 4 1 4 21 11 4
Score by Innings R H E
-----------------------------------------
Chico State......... 100 400 0 - 5 6 2
Sonoma State........ 003 010 0 - 4 4 0
-----------------------------------------
E - DEE; LIEDEL. LOB - Chico 5; Seawolves 4. HBP - DINGMAN; FARMER; HAYCOCK.
SF - SEAVER; McDANIEL. SB - HAYCOCK.
Chico State IP H R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
PLUTA............... 7.0 4 4 4 1 4 26 29
Sonoma State IP H R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
ASSELIN, Kevin...... 6.0 5 5 5 2 5 22 27
FOCKLER, Tyler...... 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 4 4
Win - PLUTA (6-2). Loss - ASSELIN (4-1). Save - None.
HBP - by ASSELIN (DINGMAN); by ASSELIN (FARMER); by PLUTA (HAYCOCK). BK -
ASSELIN.
Umpires -
Start: 3:45 Time: 2:00 Attendance: 324
