CHICO, Calif. – Kyle Eveland and the Chico State baseball team won everyone in attendance a Carl’s Jr. Western Bacon Cheeseburger in the first game. Then the Wildcats layed an egg in game two. Eveland hit one of Chico State's four home runs on the day – his coming in the Carl's Jr. Home Run Inning – as the Wildcats hammered visiting Cal State San Bernardino 12-2 in the first game of a doubleheader Friday at Nettleton Stadium. But the Coyotes turned the tide in game two, winning 12-2.
It was the first day of California Collegiate Athletic Association play for both teams. Chico State, ranked No. 19 in the nation, is now 5-5. Cal State San Bernardino is 5-7. They’ll play another doubleheader Saturday at 11 a.m.
Josh Meagher homered for the fifth time in five games in the opener and Jimmy Dodos and Adam Arakawa went back-to-back in the eighth. Eveland’s two-run shot came in the fifth and gave Chico State a 5-0 lead.
Pete Mickartz (1-1) earned the win for Chico State. He allowed only one run in seven innings of work with the help of seven strikeouts. Mickartz scattered nine hits and two walks. Bryan Save allowed just one run in two innings of relief to close out the game. Both pitchers benefited from the double-play ball. Cal State San Bernardino hit into four of them.
Meagher finished 3-for-5 with three RBI. Jordan Larson, Eveland, Kevin Seaver, and Cody Dee banged out two hits apiece.
Cal State San Bernardino’s game two starter, Daniel Stenavich, quickly quieted the Chico State bats. The junior right-hander making his first start of the season put up seven straight zeroes before surrendering two unearned runs in the eighth to earn the win and improve to 1-0. In eight innings of work he allowed just five hits and one walk while striking out four.
Brent Planck led the Coyotes offense with four hits, two runs and two RBI. Jesus Beltran, Johnnie Haas, and Bryan W. Hart also knocked in two runs apiece, Beltran’s coming on a two-run home run off the scoreboard in left-center field.
No Wildcats notched more than one hit, though Larson extended his hitting streak to 10 games (he’s had at least one hit in all of Chico State’s games this season) with a ninth-inning single, and Meagher’s eighth-inning double extended his hit streak to eight games.
Chico State starter Mike Robbins absorbed the loss. It was just Chico State’s fourth loss in Robbins’ 18 career starts. It was also one of the roughest starts of his career. He gave up a career-high eight runs, all of them earned, on six hits and three walks. He struck out four.
GAME 1 BOX SCORE
GAME 2 BOX SCORE
Other scores from around the CCAA on the opening day of conference play:
Cal State Stanislaus 12, Cal Poly Pomona 2
Cal State Dominguez Hills 4, Sonoma State 2 (Game 1)
Cal State Dominguez Hills 6, Sonoma State 5 (Game 2, 10 innings)
Cal State L.A. 9, San Francisco State 4
Cal State L.A. 12, San Francisco State 6
UC San Diego 3, CSU Monterey Bay 1
UC San Diego 7, CSU Monterey Bay 1
