HAYWARD – Kevin Brahney pitched a beauty and the Chico State baseball team beat host Cal State East Bay 2-1 Thursday to open a four-game series in Hayward. The senior southpaw allowed only two hits and struck out 11 in eight innings to outduel the Pioneers’ Zach Aguirre, who surrendered just four hits in eight and two-thirds innings.
Brahney (2-3) gave up a leadoff triple and hit a batter to start the game. But beginning with a run-scoring double-play grounder retired the next 14 hitters he faced, seven via strikeout. Following a one-out single in the sixth he retired seven more in a row – four via strikeout – and left after the eighth inning having faced just one hitter over the minimum.
Brahney has now allowed just five hits and one walk in 15 innings in his last two starts while striking out 19. His current strikeout-per-nine innings ratio of 11.14 is on pace to smash the Chico State single-season record of 9.06 set by Ivan Hernandez in 2003.
Juan Guerra nailed down his 11th save despite a one-out double in the ninth as the seventh-ranked Wildcats improved to 26-8 overall (13-5 on the road) and 20-7 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). In the process they increased their lead atop the CCAA standings to a game-and-a-half over idle UC San Diego.
Reigning West Region Player of the Week Adrian Bringas’ leadoff double in the fifth provided the Wildcats with their first baserunner of the game, which they turned into their first run to knot the score at 1-apiece. Bringas advanced to third on Justin Manci’s grounder to the right side and then Bringas scored the tying run on a wild pitch.
They took the lead an inning later when Michael Schultz doubled and advance to third on a fielding error before coming home on TJ Yasuhara’s squeeze bunt.
Cal State East Bay dropped to 13-31 overall and 11-26 in the CCAA.
The series continues with a single game Friday at 3 PM and concludes with a doubleheader Saturday beginning at noon. The Wildcats – ranked No. 2 in the West Region – will then return home for a crucial four-game series with UC San Diego – ranked No. 1 in the West – beginning with a single game Friday at 6 PM at Nettleton Stadium.
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