CHICO – Perhaps it wasn’t the competition after all. Coming off a four-game sweep of Central Washington in which the Chico State men’s baseball team scored 70 runs, the Wildcats walloped Cal Poly Pomona 22-4 to open a four-game series Friday night at Nettleton Stadium. The Wildcats banged out 20 hits, including three home runs, a triple, and four doubles to give Head Coach Dave Taylor the 250th win of his career.
Reigning California Collegiate Athletic Association Player of the Week Johnny Hay crushed a three-run homer that threatened the lights high above the wall in left field and drove in six runs for the Wildcats. Kevin Seaver went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI to climb to within one hit of 100 for his career. Adrian Bringas smashed an opposite-field 3-run bomb and drove in four. And Deven Braden, who hit his fifth home run of the season, finished with two hits, along with Jordan Larson, Michael Murphy, Adam Arakawa, Jackson Evans, and Hay.
Chico State, which entered the weekend ranked No. 14 in the nation and No. 3 in the West Region, improved to 11-2 overall and 7-2 in the CCAA with the win. Cal Poly Pomona, ranked No. 4 in the West, fell to 11-7 overall and 5-4 in the CCAA.
Starter Michael Gleason (3-0) earned the win for Chico State despite a rough outing by his standards. He allowed four runs on eight hits and three walks in six innings of work. He struck out four and got two double-play balls to minimize the damage. Ian Waldron and Scott Newberry combined on three scoreless innings in relief.
Cal Poly Pomona took a 2-0 lead in the first on Nick Tanos’ two-run homer, but he left the game in the sixth with an injury. Chico State evened the score in the bottom-half of the frame on Seaver’s two-run double.
Braden gave the Wildcats a brief lead with his fifth home run of the season – a solo shot to left-center – in the second. After the Broncos knotted the score a 3-apiece with Jenzen Torres’ RBI-grounder, Hay launched his sixth home run of the year, a three-run shot, to make it 6-3.
Chico State broke it open with three more runs in the fifth against Broncos’ reliever Scott Sibley. Murphy and Seaver walked to set up the big inning, and Evans singled through the right side to plate Murphy. RBI grounders by Hay and Bringas later in the frame made it a 9-3 game.
The Broncos attempted to get back into it, scoring a run in the sixth on Michael Neff’s infield single, but the Wildcats sent 12 runners to the plate and scored seven runs in the seventh to seal the deal. Bringas’ three-run blast down the right-field line highlighted the inning, while Hay drove in two with a bases-loaded knock, Murphy singled home a run, and the final run of the frame scored on an error.
The Wildcats wrapped up the scoring with six more runs in the eighth as they batted around again. Pinch-hitter Travis Kruger led off the inning with a triple and scored on Hunter Buckmore’s base hit. Seaver notched his second two-run double later in the frame, which also featured an RBI-single off the bat of Larson and RBI-grounders from Danny Dyer and Murphy.
The series continues with a doubleheader Saturday and noon and wraps up with a single game Sunday at noon. The first game Saturday and Sunday’s game will be available on ESPN Radio 101.7 FM and 1340 AM, but Saturday’s second game will not be aired due to the Chico State women’s basketball team’s playoff game.
GAME NOTES – Larson extended his hitting streak to nine games…Seaver has now driven in at least a run in eight consecutive games…The Wildcats have won all nine of their home games this year and 19 of their last 20 dating back to last season…Chico State has won 12 of its last 13 against Cal Poly Pomona…Taylor boasts an overall record of 250-149-1 (.626) in seven-plus seasons. The 1996 Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year at the University of Wyoming, Taylor compiled a 57-55-0 record with the Cowboys. He was 58-39-1 in two seasons at Cal State L.A., and he’s currently 135-55 at Chico State…Taylor’s Chico State winning percentage of .711 is the highest in the program’s history...Hay’s six RBI are the most recorded by a Wildcat in the Dave Taylor Era…The junior transfer from College of the Canyons has now driven in 17 runs and hit five home runs in the last five games...Newberry has allowed just one earned run on five hits over his last 10 outings, spanning 12-and-two-thirds innings.
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