ROHNERT PARK – The Chico State baseball team’s late-season slide continued with a 7-1 loss at Sonoma State Friday, dropping the Wildcats into a tie for second place with the host Seawolves and leaving them just a half game ahead of fourth-place Cal State San Bernardino and Cal Poly Pomona in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) standings with three to play. The top four teams following Sunday’s doubleheader at home against Sonoma State will advance to the CCAA Championship Tournament.

Chico State pitchers hit four Sonoma State batters and walked three others in the loss that dropped them to 28-16 overall and 22-15 in the CCAA. The Wildcats trailed just 2-1 in the eighth, but they hit three Seawolves hitters and walked two more during a five-run eighth that blew the game open.

Sonoma State improved to 31-16 overall and 22-15 in the CCAA behind the strong pitching of Kenny Arnerich. The Long Beach State transfer gave up just one run on six hits in eight innings to improve to 7-1. He struck out five and walked three.

All three of those walks came in the top of the eighth, but a baserunning mistake cost the Wildcats dearly in what could have been at least a game-tying rally when Cody Foster was picked off first base with runners on first and third and none out. Jackson Evans’ grounder plated Yasuhara to cut the lead to 2-1, but Arnerich struck out Phil Johnson with two on to end the threat.

That was the second big baserunning gaffe for the Wildcats. Shane Kroker was picked off of first with one down in the second. Or so he thought. The ball actually got away from Seawolves first baseman O’Koyea Dickson. But believing he was out, Kroker started to jog toward the dugout. Dickson picked up the ball and tagged Kroker to kill the rally.

Arnerich’s outing, the Wildcats’ baserunning, and Chico State’s generosity on the mound proved to be too much to overcome.

So the 27th-ranked Wildcats (No. 3 in the West Region) will now go to work on trying to find a way to pull out of this late season slide in which they’ve dropped seven of their last eight games in time to salvage a postseason berth. That quest continues Saturday with a single game at 11 AM in Rohnert Park. The two teams will then travel to Chico for the final two games of the regular season beginning Sunday at noon.

The postseason picture will be considerably clearer by then as both Cal State San Bernardino and Cal Poly Pomona will have wrapped up their regular seasons. The Broncos eliminated Cal State L.A. from postseason play with a 12-0 win Friday and wrap up that series with a doubleheader in L.A. on Saturday. Cal State San Bernardino, which visits first-place UC San Diego for a 6 PM game tonight, wraps up its regular season with a home doubleheader against the Tritons on Saturday.

Chico State’s magic number to clinch a berth remains at two, meaning that any combination of two wins and Cal Poly Pomona losses would secure their spot.

BOX SCORE

Remaining CCAA Regular-Season Schedule (for teams in contention)
Friday
Sonoma State 7, Chico State 1
Cal Poly Pomona 12, Cal State L.A. 0
Cal State San Bernardino @ UC San Diego – 6 PM
Saturday
Chico State @ Sonoma State - 11 AM
Cal Poly Pomona @ Cal State L.A. - 11 AM (DH)
UC San Diego @ Cal State San Bernardino - Noon (DH)
Sunday
Sonoma State @ Chico State - Noon (DH)