CHICO, Calif. – The Chico State baseball team is hoping its effort to make up ground in the chase for a postseason spot goes better than its effort to come from behind against Cal State Stanislaus Sunday. The Wildcats fell behind 5-0 early, and despite nine at-bats with the tying run at the plate, could not climb all the way back in an 8-4 loss that prevented a series sweep against the Warriors Sunday.
In order to earn a berth in the CCAA Championship Tournament, the Wildcats (32-20 overall, 17-15 CCAA) must now win four straight next weekend at CSU Monterey Bay and need Cal State Stanislaus to sweep a four-game series against Cal State Dominguez Hills on the final weekend of the regular season. The Warriors, now 30-18 overall and 15-16 in the CCAA, were eliminated from the CCAA Championship Tournament hunt when Cal State Dominguez Hills beat Cal State Monterey Bay Sunday.
Playing with the knowledge their playoff lives hung in the balance, Cal State Stanislaus scored four runs in the first three innings against Wildcats starter Mike Robbins on including Casey Filkins’ three-run homer in the first and his RBI-single in the third. Jordan Lindebaum came on in relief in the third and pitched well enough to keep the Wildcats in the game.
The freshman Lindebaum allowed only single runs in the fourth and fifth before the Warriors opened it up with two more runs in the ninth. Robbins allowed four runs on seven hits in two-plus innings to fall to 1-4 on the season. Lindebaum surrendered four runs on eight hits in seven innings of relief.
Cal State Stanislaus starter Eric Cendejas – the Warriors’ closer who was making just his second start of the season, allowed three runs (one earned) on seven hits in five-and-two-thirds innings to earn the win and improve to 4-0. Eric Federico allowed just one unearned run in three-and-two-thirds innings to earn his fourth save. He struck out five, including three to end innings in which the Wildcats had the tying or go-ahead run at the plate.
The Warriors built their lead to 5-0 on Kyle Loretelli’s RBI-single in the fourth. The Wildcats finally broke through in the bottom half of the inning, and remained in striking distance for the duration of the game. Josh Meagher reached on an error leading off the inning and Eric Stephens followed with a base hit. Jimmy Dodos knocked an RBI-single past first base to trim the lead to 5-1.
After Cody Dee was hit by a pitch to load the bases, the Warriors’ defense betrayed them again. Bret Ringer’s ground ball was booted at second base, and shortstop Alex Zanini, Jr. picked up the ball and through it away at first base to allow a second run to score, making it 5-3. The Wildcats failed to do more damage with one out and runners on second and third, however.
Leandro Dottavio’s home run leading off the fifth made it a 6-3 game. The Wildcats stranded a baserunner in the fifth and another in the sixth before scoring again in the seventh. Kyle Eveland reached on an error to start the inning, moved to second on Eric Strephens’ base hit, and came around to score on Dodos’ two-out hit. After Dee walked, Ringer came to the plate with the tying run on second, but he struck out looking on three pitches.
Eveland’s two-out double in the eighth brought the tying run to the plate in the former of Chico State’s leading home run hitter Josh Meagher, but Federico struck him out swinging.
Cal State Stanislaus got two insurance runs in the eighth on Chase Perez’s ground-rule RBI-double and David Contreras’ RBI-single.
Chico State got the tying run to the plate again in the ninth when Stephens and Dodos singled and pinch hitter Kevin Seaver drew a walk. Pinch hitter Nick Victor struck out swinging to end the game, however.
The Wildcats will kick off their final series of the regular season at Cal State Monterey Bay Friday at 3 p.m.
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