Jordan Lindebaum outdueled Cal State L.A. ace Gabriel Asakura in the second game of a doubleheader to give the 10th-ranked Chico State baseball team a split with No. 27 Cal State L.A. Saturday at Nettleton Stadium. Lindebaum (4-0) allowed four hits in six shutout innings in perhaps the best outing of his Chico State career and Justin Manci singled home a run in the fourth as the Wildcats won 1-0. Cal State L.A. won the opener 5-1 behind a combined five-hitter by David Arredondo and Jacob Valenzuela.
Lindebaum faced a tough task against Asakura, who was 6-0 with a 0.87 ERA entering the day. But it was Lindebaum who looked like the CCAA’s best pitcher to this point in the season. He struck out Noe Flores and Chad Nacapoy to work out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the second. The lanky right-hander making his third start of the season had to get out of trouble again in the third when leadoff hitter Joe Park reached on an error and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Lindebaum got a comebacker and then struck out Moon looking to end the threat.
That started a stretch in which Lindebaum retired 10 in a row, and only Cliff Quick’s swinging bunt single in the sixth broke that streak. Lindebaum struck out Moon for the second out and then picked off Quick who was trying to steal to end his day.
Juan Guerra collected his 10th save with a scoreless seventh, but not before things got exciting. Leadoff hitter Brian Compton reached on an error leading off the inning, and with one out, Manny Acosta singled to put the tying run at second. But Guerra got pinch hitter Jordan Castro looking and Nacapoy swinging to end the game.
Adrian Bringas got the Wildcats’ fourth-inning rally started with a one-out single. Matt Anderson’s base hit moved Bringas into scoring position, and with tow down, Manci muscled a single to left to plate the game’s lone run. Anderson and Acosta each went 2-for-3 to lead their respective offenses.
Chico State is now 24-8 overall and 18-7 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association heading into Sunday’s 11 AM series finale. Cal State L.A. is 23-16 overall and 18-13 in the CCAA.
The Golden Eagles got their own top-notch pitching performance in the opener. Arredondo worked seven scoreless before the Wildcats finally knocked him out of the game in the eighth. He fired seven-and-two-thirds innings, allowing just four hits and a run. He struck out seven and walked two to improve to 4-2 on the season.
Valenzuela was summoned with two down and the bases loaded in the eighth to face Anderson, one batter after Jackson Evans drew a bases-loaded walk to draw the Wildcats to within 4-1. He got Anderson to ground out to first and end the inning. The Wildcats loaded the bases again in the ninth on consecutive singles by Shane Kroker and Manci and a two-out walk to TJ Yasuhara. But Cody Foster grounded out to end the game as Valenzuela collected his fourth save.
Wildcats starter Ryan O’Shea cruised through the first six frames, allowing just a run on one hit. But the Golden Eagles opened it up in the seventh. Nacapoy’s two-run double off reliever Sheldon Lechuga capped a three-run inning that built the lead to 4-0. Nacapoy doubled home another run in the top of the ninth and finished 2-for-4 with three RBI. Acosta went 2-for-4 with an RBI, and Flores was 2-for-4 as well.
The Wildcats finished the day with a one-game lead atop the CCAA standings over UC San Diego. Cal State L.A. follows third-place Sonoma State in fourth, but the Golden Eagles are just a half game ahead of Cal Poly Pomona and a game and a half ahead of Cal State San Bernardino.
After Sunday, Chico State will play a four-game series at Cal State East Bay next weekend, a four-game series at home against UC San Diego April 29-May 1, a doubleheader against Cal State Stanislaus May 3, and a four-game home-and-away series against Sonoma State May 6-8 to wrap up the regular season.
GAME 1 BOX
GAME 2 BOX
