HAYWARD – There’s just no other way to say it: Chico State softball pitchers Jessica McDermott and Kacie McCarthy have been flat out dealing over the past two weeks. The duo, which has combined to give up just three earned runs in its last 58 innings of work, twirled back-to-back shutouts Saturday against Cal State East Bay, and combined with another healthy dose of Wildcat offense, Chico State beat the Pioneers 7-0 and 3-0 to complete a four-game series sweep and keep the team’s hopes for a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship Tournament bid alive.
Saturday’s victories extended Chico State’s current winning streak to five straight and improved the Wildcats overall record to 24-17, clinching the program’s first winning season since 2005. The ’Cats also moved into a tie with Cal State San Bernardino for fifth place in the CCAA with a 17-14 conference mark. With four game left in the regular season and two of the four conference tournament berths still up for grabs, Chico State trails third place Cal State Dominguez by just 1½ games and fourth place UC San Diego by only a half game. Cal State East Bay, which has now lost its last 12 games, dropped to 12-32 on the season and 5-27 in CCAA play.
McDermott, who tossed a five hit shutout in going the distance in Friday’s series opener, was even more effective in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, allowing just three Cal State East Bay baserunners and striking out four in posting her sixth straight complete game and sixth shutout of the season. Thanks to the Wildcat offense, McDermott had a lead before she even threw a pitch – in the top of the first, Christine Johnson drove in Charlotte Honciano with a sacrifice fly; then later in the inning, Courtney Brock scored on a Pioneer error to quickly put Chico State on top 2-0. A Honciano triple leading off the top of the third inning followed by a Sam Quadt sac fly added to the Wildcats’ advantage…then in the top of the sixth the ’Cats iced the contest away, scoring four times – Brock and Jenna Wermes providing the key knocks with an RBI double and two-run single, respectively. The 7-0 Wildcats win upped McDermott’s season record to 11-6; Honciano went 4-for-5 and scored three runs to lead Chico State’s 13-hit attack. Brock and Christine Johnson each contributed three hits for the ’Cats.
BOX SCORE - Game One
McCarthy provided another Chico State pitching gem in Saturday’s second game, allowing just two hits and wiggling out of a two-on, two-out jam in the second inning and a bases loaded situation in the fifth to keep Cal State East Bay off the scoreboard. McCarthy was matched zero for zero by Pioneers starting pitcher Lauren Zweigle until the Wildcats finally broke through, doing all their damage in the sixth inning – with one out and Quadt and Christine Johnson in scoring position, Wermes delivered a single to left field to give the ’Cats a two run lead…Bec Johnson then followed with a base hit to left to drive in pinch runner Maddi Hillier to put Chico State up 3-0. McCarthy took it from there, tossing a scoreless sixth and seventh inning to lock down the victory and give the Wildcats the doubleheader sweep. McCarthy improved her record to 11-9 with the win – her 14th complete game of the season – while Wermes and Bec Johnson both had two hits to lead the Wildcat offense. By taking both twinbills from Cal State East Bay, it marked the first time since the CCAA instituted four game sets in 2007 that Chico State has posted a series sweep.
BOX SCORE - Game Two
Chico State returns home to wrap up regular season play with a huge four game set next Friday and Saturday against Cal State Stanislaus. The Wildcats and Warriors square off for a doubleheader Friday at 1:00 p.m., followed by a double dip Saturday starting at noon.
