CHICO, Calif. – The Chico State baseball team’s footsteps are growing louder. The question is whether anyone will hear them and flinch before time runs out. The Wildcats won their sixth straight game overall and their seventh straight at home, 6-4 against Cal State Stanislaus Friday night at Nettleton Stadium, moving past the Warriors into fifth place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA).
Only the top four teams in the CCAA will advance to the postseason Championship Tournament, however, and the teams Chico State is chasing in an attempt to qualify for the tournament keep winning as well. Third-place Cal State L.A., which holds a four-and-a-half game lead over the Wildcats, came from behind to beat Cal Poly Pomona Friday. Fourth-place Cal State Dominguez Hills beat CSU Monterey Bay Friday to keep its two-game cushion against the Wildcats.
Chico State, 30-19 overall and 15-14 in the CCAA, has seven games remaining to make up one of those deficits, or the Wildcats will likely miss the postseason for the first time since 1995. Cal State Stanislaus, ranked No. 1 in the nation earlier this season, fell to 29-16 overall and 14-14 in the CCAA.
Wildcats ace Pete Mickartz surrendered a career-high 13 hits, but pitched brilliantly out of trouble all night and got all but the final out to improve to 7-3 on the season. He did not walk a batter, struck out eight, and stranded nine Warriors baserunners. The win was the 20th of Mickartz’s career, tying him with Billy Spottiswood for sixth on Chico State’s career list. He also moved into sole possession of third place on the school’s career strikeouts list.
Brian Fowler got Kyle Loretelli – Cal State Stanislaus’ best hitter – to fly out to center field with a runner on first to end the game and collect his first save of the season.
Chico State scored five times in the first three frames against Oroville High School product Dakota Watts, who got the start for Cal State Stanislaus. Watts, who fell to 8-3 with the loss, allowed six earned runs on nine hits, walked three, and struck out five.
Jordan Larson led off Chico State’s first with a hustle double to left-center field, moved to third on Kyle Eveland’s sacrifice bunt, and scored on Josh Meagher’s 18th double of the year.
Cal State Stanislaus tied the game in the third when Loretelli doubled home Ryan Silver. Silver got things started with a one-out single and moved to second on Jake Oketani’s base hit.
The two half-innings that followed proved to be the biggest in the game. Chico State loaded the bases with one down in the third on consecutive singles by Meagher, Eric Stephens and Adam Arakawa. Kevin Seaver then battled all the way back from down 0-2 in the count to draw a walk that forced home a run and broke the tie. Cody Dee then laid down a well-placed squeeze bunt that plated Stephens to make it 3-1. And with two out, Bret Ringer bounced a ground ball through past two diving infielders and into right field, scoring Seaver and Arakawa to make it 5-1.
Cal State Stanislaus answered in the fourth, but Mickartz limited what could have been a very damaging inning. Casey Filkins, Leandro Dottavio, and Zach Cadet singled to open the frame, and Cadet’s RBI-hit cut the lead to 5-2. Jeff Hughes then sacrificed both runners into scoring position with one out. That’s when Mickartz buckled down. He got leadoff hitter Ryan Silver to ground out to shortstop (plating a run) and Oketani to ground out to third to end the inning.
That started a string in which Mickartz retired 11 of the next 12 batters.
The Wildcats added on a run in the sixth when Ringer led off with a single, stole second base, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on Larson’s sacrifice fly to complete the scoring.
The Wildcats and Warriors will knock heads again Saturday in a noon doubleheader. Sunday’s game will start at noon. Fans are encouraged to arrive early as the team’s 12 seniors will be honored prior to their final home game.
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