CHICO – Already struggling to find some pop in the lineup, the Chico State baseball team also failed to do the little things as well in a 4-3 loss to 13th-ranked Cal State Dominguez Hills Sunday at Nettleton Stadium. Botched bunts, possible missed signs, and a lack of ability to get runners home from third with less than two out compounded the Wildcats’ offensive woes.
On the flip side, Dominguez Hills (34-11 overall and 24-8 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association) scored the go-ahead run in the when Dean Benavidez led off the ninth with his third single of the game, moved to second on Carlos Leyva’s sacrifice bunt, and came around to score on Andrew Baslow’s base hit. The Toros, ranked No. 13 in the nation, No. 2 in the West Region, and winners of 15 of their last 16, provided a lesson the Wildcats could certainly learn from as they head down the stretch with the postseason on the horizon.
Chico State, which entered the weekend ranked No. 29 in the nation and No. 3 in the West, dipped to 27-15 overall and 22-14 in the CCAA with its 13th loss in 27 games since a torrid 13-2 start. The Wildcats mustered just 26 hits – 23 singles and three doubles – while dropping three of four to the Toros over the weekend. Even so, they were in prime position to split the series when Adrian Bringas was hit by a pitch and Ben Manlove doubled him to third leading off the seventh in a 3-3 game.
Michael Schultz was called upon to lay down a squeeze bunt, but popped it off the backstop before grounding out to third base with the infield draw in for the first out. After Michael Murphy singled off pitcher Shane Youngdale’s shin to load the bases, Jackson Evans also attempted to bunt. But his bunt was also fouled back off the screen, and a bit perplexing in the fact that Bringas did not seem to be expecting it and didn’t charge down the line from third. Bringas did come hard down the line on the next pitch, only to realize too late that Jackson was not bunting. He attempted to scramble back, but Toros catcher Derrek Duarte caught him too far off and third baseman Abel Medina managed to catch the ball and tag Bringas while on the move back toward the bag for the inning’s second out. Evans struck out on the next pitch to end the inning.
Duarte made an equally poor play in the next inning, but the Wildcats’ frustrations only grew as they failed to capitalize. Following Johnny Hay’s one-out single, Duarte threw the ball well wide of first base on an attempted pick off, allowing Hay to motor around to third with one out. But Adam Arakawa struck out looking on an outside fastball when a fly ball would tie the game and Hay was stranded.
Masked by the Wildcats’ offensive struggles was another nice pitching performance. Scott Greene gave the team its fourth quality start of the series, allowing three runs on six hits in five-and-two-thirds innings. Phillip Hymas then pitched well out of the bullpen, surrendering only the ninth-inning run and three hits in three-and-two-thirds frames. He took the loss to fall to 3-2.
Matt Phillips (5-0) was the winner in relief for Dominguez Hills, firing two-and-two-thirds scoreless innings. Starter Shane Youngdale went six-and-a-third, allowing three runs, only two of which were earned.
Dominguez Hills grabbed a 1-0 lead with a run in the fourth. Medina led off the fame with a single and scored on Kevin Pillar’s base hit to center field that also extended his CCAA-record hitting streak to 43 games. Pillar’s streak is the third in longest NCAA Division II history and trails only Josh Gilstrap of Fort Hays State (47 games in 2002) and Nick Diyorio of Florida Southern (49 games 2005-06) for the record.
Chico State answered with a little help from the Toros to take the lead in the bottom half of the inning. Evans singled to lead off the frame but was thrown out at second on Kevin Seaver’s sacrifice bunt attempt. Hay walked and Arakawa grounded into a fielders’ choice to put runners on the corners, and Youngdale balked Seaver home to tie the game 1-1.
Jordan Larson singled to move Arakawa to third, and Duarte’s attempted pickoff move a few pitches later bounced off of either Arakawa or the shielded Medina’s glove, allowing Arakawa to score and Larson to move to second. Bringas’ base hit then plated Larson for the team’s lone RBI-knock of the day and just its second in the last three games, giving the Wildcats a 3-1 lead.
The Toros quickly evened the score in the fifth when Greene walked Leyva and Baslow leading off the inning, they moved to second on Medina’s bunt, and Kyle Pond smacked a two-run single to right, setting the stage for the game’s frustrating ending.
Murphy, Evans and Manlove had two hits apiece to pace Chico State’s offense. Benavidez, the Toros’ ninth-place hitter, led all players with his 3-for-4 effort, and Pillar went 2-for-4.
Chico State, still one win shy of clinching its 15th postseason berth in the last 16 years – a spot in the CCAA Championship – is scheduled to play six non-conference games before it wraps up conference action and the regular season with a four-game series at home against Cal State Monterey Bay April 30 through May 2. Before that, the Wildcats are scheduled to host Simpson University for a twin bill this Tuesday beginning at 3 p.m. and then a four-game series with Western Oregon University Friday through Sunday.
Cal State Dominguez Hills will face conference-leader UC San Diego in a series that could determine the eventual CCAA Champion next weekend.
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