ROHNERT PARK – The Chico State baseball team won’t need a win to clinch a playoff spot during tomorrow’s regular-season finale doubleheader against Sonoma State. They earned their 15th postseason berth in the last 16 years thanks to a doubleheader sweep of Cal Poly Pomona by Cal State L.A. Saturday. But they do need a win for a host of other reasons.
The Wildcats blew a four-run lead and failed to cash in on potential game-tying runners on third base with one out in each of the last two innings in an 8-7 loss at Sonoma State Saturday. So they’ve now lost eight of their last nine games, falling from first place into third in the process. Still, at 28-17 overall and 22-16 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), they can still clinch the No. 2 seed in the upcoming CCAA Championship Tournament with a Sunday sweep of the Seawolves (32-16, 23-15).
Seeding is certainly not all that’s on the line Sunday. The Wildcats’ confidence could also be at stake, as well as their place in the NCAA Championship Tournament, which seemed cemented two weeks ago. Chico State entered the weekend ranked No. 3 in the West Region. That could change, however, as No. 4 Cal Poly Pomona won two games this weekend, Sonoma State is No. 6, and No. 5 Cal State San Bernardino, No. 7 Dixie State, and No. 8 Northwest Nazarene are lurking also lurking.
The winner of the CCAA Championship and the other top three teams in the West Region will be invited to the NCAA Championship Tournament. The Wildcats are attempting to get that invitation for the second straight season and the 13th time in the last 16 years.
First, they’ll attempt to play some playoff caliber baseball, something they’ve been struggling to do during this stretch of 10 games in 10 days that wraps up Sunday. The Wildcats hurt themselves in all facets of the game Saturday, committing four errors, walking four hitters, and failing to get a run home from third with less than two out on six occasions.
Things started well for the Wildcats, however. Jackson Evans singled to lead off the game, and following two walks, Justin Manci knocked a two-run single to left-center.
The Seawolves tied it up with the help of two Chico State errors in the second, but Ben Manlove’s two-run single in the third gave the Wildcats a 4-2 edge. They made it 6-2 in the fourth when TJ Yasuhara scored on a wild pitch and Adrian Bringas hit a sacrifice fly. But a three-run fifth knocked Wildcats starter Ryan O’Shea out of the game and cut the Wildcats’ lead to 6-5.
A throwing error by Manlove and fielding error by Bringas helped Sonoma State take the lead with a two-run sixth. The Wildcats had a golden opportunity to tie or retake the lead in the eighth, but Phil Johnson struck out looking with one out and runners on the corners and then Manci grounded out to end the inning.
They had another great chance in the ninth when Matt Anderson hit a pinch-double leading off the inning and moved to third on Michael Schultz’s sacrifice bunt. But Shane Kroker couldn’t make contact with a squeeze bunt on a ball outside the strike zone and Anderson was cut down in a rundown between third and home. Kroker struck out on the next pitch to end the game.
The Wildcats can certainly play better than they have been. They got off to a 21-5 start this season despite playing 18 of those first 26 games on the road. But time is running out for them to get back to playing that brand of baseball. We’ll see if they can get started on Sunday.
BOX SCORE
