CHICO, Calif. – The talented Chico State baseball team had painted itself into a corner with inconsistent play throughout the 2009 season. Saturday, the Wildcats put together a masterpiece of a day to starting working their way out. Chico State swept Sonoma State, which entered the day ranked No. 15 in the nation and in second place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), by scores of 2-1 and 9-3.
That moved the Wildcats, 24-17 overall and 14-12 in the CCAA, all the way up to fifth place in the conference standings after beginning the day in a tie for seventh place. Sonoma State dropped from second and third and is now 24-11 overall and 16-10 in conference action. The top four teams in the CCAA at the end of the regular season will earn a trip to the CCAA Championship Tournament in Palm Springs May 7-9.
Chico State now trails fourth-place Cal State Dominguez Hills by just one game, and the Seawolves by two. They’ll have a chance to draw even with Sonoma State when the teams wrap up their four game series with a doubleheader Monday in Rohnert Park beginning at noon.
Starting pitchers Pete Mickartz (game one) and Joel Garcia (game two) combined with relievers Ian Waldron (game one) and Ivan Gonzalez (game two) to limit Sonoma State to only four runs on 12 hits in 16 innings. Chico State’s defense worked well behind them, committing only one error during the double-dip, and the Wildcats banged out 22 hits on the day, including 14 in the nightcap.
Mickartz, Chico State’s ace, pitched like it in the opener. He allowed just one run on six hits and striking out seven in seven innings of work. He improved to 5-3 with the win. Waldron kept up the good work by firing two scoreless innings to close out the game and collect his third save of the season.
The Wildcats got all the scoring they would need in the first two innings. Jordan Larson led off the game with an infield single, moved to second on Kyle Eveland’s walk, to third on Josh Meagher’s sacrifice bunt, and came home on Eric Stephens’ sacrifice fly. Adam Arakawa singled to lead off the second inning, moved to second on Kevin Seaver’s base hit, and eventually scored on a throwing error by Seawolves shortstop Leo Avila.
Mickartz got in big trouble in the second, walking the bases loaded, but struck out two hitters to end the threat. Kris Haycock got Sonoma State on the board when he led off the third with a double and scored on Cameron Cook’s base hit, but that was all the offense Sonoma State could scratch together.
Arakawa and Larson finished the game with two hits apiece for the Wildcats.
The Wildcats ensured that the momentum would remain in their hands with a four-run first inning in game two. Larson singled to lead off the game, Eveland walked, and Meagher and Stephens were both hit by pitches to plate a run. Arakawa’s RBI-grounder was bobbled at first to keep the bases loaded and give Chico State a 2-0 lead. Another run scored when Jimmy Dodos grounded into a double play, and Cody Dee singled home the fourth run of the inning.
Chico State added to its lead in the third when Arakawa led off the inning with a single, went to third on Dodos’ base hit, and scored when Dee singled to center field. They made it 7-0 in the fourth when Eveland doubled, moved to third on Meagher’s infield hit, and scored on Stephens’ single. Meagher later scored on a double-play ball.
Garcia, meanwhile, had not allowed a runner past second base before allowing three runs on three hits in
the fifth. He still earned the win, allowing those three runs on five hits in five innings to improve to 6-2.
Gonzalez allowed only one hit in two innings to nail down the win, but not before the Wildcats added a run in the fifth when Dee doubled and scored on Larson’s sacrifice fly, and a run in the sixth when Dodos doubled and scored on Dee’s base hit.
Dee finished 4-for-4 with three RBI, Larson and Meagher had two hits apiece, and Stephens drove in two runs.
Nick Ramos was the only Sonoma State player to register two hits in either game, going 2-for-3 in the nightcap.
GAME 1 BOX SCORE
GAME 2 BOX SCORE
