GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The much-anticipated series between 3rd-ranked Chico State and 23rd-ranked Mesa State has certainly delivered the goods for the brave Mavericks fans who weathered the freezing temperatures to enjoy the games first hand. The teams split an entertaining doubleheader Friday with Chico State taking the opener 6-4 and Mesa State grabbing the nightcap 8-5.

Chico State is now 4-3 and Mesa State is 4-2. The four-game series wraps up with a single game Saturday at 10:30 a.m., PST.

Michael Robbins took a no-hitter into the sixth inning of the opener as Chico State built a 6-0 lead and the Wildcats held off Mesa State to win. Robbins (1-0), allowed one unearned run on one hit in five-and-two-thirds innings. Andrew Pluta got the final out of the sixth and freshman Jordan Lindebaum allowed only a single in the seventh for his first collegiate save.

Josh Meagher homered for the third time in two days to open the scoring in the fourth. After Bret Ringer singled, Jimmy Dodos and Nick Victor layed down bunt singles to load the bases. Cody Dee drove in a run with a ground ball and Dodos scored the third run of the inning after Dee got caught in a rundown between first and second.

The Wildcats added a run in the fifth when Jordan Larson was hit by a pitch, moved to second on Kyle Eveland’s bunt, and scored on a Mesa State error.

Chico State tacked on two more runs in the sixth. Dodos got things started with a one-out single and came around to score on Kevin Seaver’s RBI-double down the third-base line. Seaver came around to score on Deven Braden’s base hit to left field.

Robbins ran into trouble in the bottom of the sixth when he hit the leadoff batter and Eveland bobbled a double-play grounder to put runners on first and second with none out. After getting a strikeout and Larson’s leaping catch at the wall for the second out, he walked two consecutive batters to force home a run. Grant Vickers lined a sharp single to center to break up the no-hitter and bring the tying run to the plate, but Pluta came on in relief and got the Wildcats out of the inning with a ground ball.

The Wildcats pounded out 14 hits in the nightcap, but stranded 11 runners on base in the loss. Larson led the team with three hits, while Eveland, Ringer, and Branden had two hits, as well as Eric Stephens, who made his Wildcats debut. Dodos smashed a two-run triple and finished with a team-high three RBI.

Michael Gleason (0-1) absorbed the loss, allowing three runs in a little more than an inning of work
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GAME 1 BOX SCORE
GAME 2 BOX SCORE