TURLOCK, Calif. –  The Chico  State Wildcats had a tough day on the diamond Sunday, dropping a pair of contests in the final day of the rain-shortened Mizuno Best of the West Invitational in Turlock. The 'Cats were beaten 3-2 by Cal State San Bernardino in a morning game, then in an afternoon tilt Chico State dropped a 5-1 decision to CSU Monterey Bay. All told, the Wildcats lost three out of four during the two-day Invitational that featured teams from 12 different schools.

After wet weather Friday forced the cancellation of day one of the Invitational, the Wildcats split a pair of games Saturday, beating San Francisco State 3-2 before falling later in the day to UC San Diego 6-1.

Against the Gators, Charlotte Honciano singled home Christina Wieck and Sam Quadt in the bottom of the second inning to give the Wildcats an early 2-0 lead. San Francisco State answered with a run in the top of the third off Chico State starter Lauren Walker, but the ’Cats got it back in the bottom of the third on one swing of Rachel Failla’s bat, smacking a home run to left to put the Wildcats up 3-1.

The Gators pushed across a run in the top of the sixth to make the score 3-2, but Walker set San Francisco State down in order in the seventh inning to bring home the victory and even her season record at 1-1. Quadt had two of Chico State’s seven hits in the contest.

In Saturday's second game, Jessica McDermott of the Wildcats and UC San Diego’s Camille Gaito locked up in a scoreless duel until the Tritons broke through with four sixth inning runs. UC San Diego widened its lead to 6-0 with two runs in the top of the seventh, but Chico State averted the shutout in the bottom of the seventh when Kelly Head led off with a pinch-hit double, advanced to third of a pinch single by Kait Manning and scored on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Reina Andreatta. The Wildcats could muster just four hits off Gaito, with Rebecca Johnson going 2-for-3.

Sunday began with Chico State losing a tough one-run decision to Cal State San Bernardino. The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fifth inning when Walker surrendered a bases-loaded double to Courtney Wilhelms, giving the Coyotes a 3-0 lead. The Wildcats pulled to within a run in the seventh on RBI singles by Jesse Minch and Jenna Wermes, but with the tying run at second base, San Bernardino pitcher Rachel Lopez got Rebecca Johnson to hit into a fielder's choice to end the game...the Coyotes escaping with the 3-2 win.

In Sunday's second game the Wildcats reached CSU Monterey Bay pitcher Shelair Rowell for only five hits in dropping their third straight game. The 'Cats actually took the lead with an unearned run in the third inning, but the Otters went ahead for good in the fifth on a two-run home run by Ashlee Trotter. Shea Olds bombed a two-run homer in the sixth inning to give CSU Monterey Bay a 4-1 lead...the Otters then added an insurance run in the seventh to salt the contest away. The Otters struck for 13 hits off Wildcats pitcher Jessica McDermott; her record fell to 1-3 while Chico State dropped to 2-5 on the season. 

The Wildcats will be back in action Friday, Feb. 13 and Saturday, Feb. 14 when they host the defending Division II champion Humboldt State Lumberjacks at the University Softball Field. Friday's doubleheader begins at 1 p.m., with the Saturday twinbill starting at 11 a.m.

Box Score vs. San Francisco State

Box Score vs. UC San Diego

Box Score vs. Cal State San Bernardino

Box Score vs. CSU Monterey Bay