LA JOLLA – Kagen Hopkins fired another gem and the Chico State baseball team remained perfect on the diamond in 2012 with a 4-1 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA)-opening win at UC San Diego Friday night. The 10th-ranked Wildcats scored twice in the first and added runs in the fourth and seventh behind Hopkins, who scattered eight hits in eight frames to improve to 2-0 in his second NCAA start.

Mike Botelho pitched the ninth for the Wildcats, striking out the side to work around an error, a bunt single, and a walk that loaded the bases with two down. He struck out Scott Liske swinging with the bases juiced to nail down his first save in a Wildcats uniform and snap Chico State’s eight-game losing skid against their conference rivals.

Wildcats cleanup hitter Blake Gibbs was 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI. He flashed a nice skill set at the plate, laying down a bunt that plated Cody Webber to make it 2-0 in the first and lacing a double down the left field line leading off the fourth prior to scoring on Colton Hamill’s base hit to make it 3-0.

The Wildcats took the lead in the first when, after TJ Yasuhara drew a one-out walk, a throw from third skipped off the first-baseman’s glove, allowing Yasuhara to come all the way around to score.

Cody Foster tacked on an RBI-single into the hole in the seventh to make it 4-0 and extend his hitting streak to 14 games dating back to last season. Hamill, the only other Wildcat to hit safely in the first five games of the season, went 1-for-3 with a run and an RBI.

Hopkins, the reigning CCAA and West Region Pitcher of the Week, made a bid to repeat. He struck out eight and walked just one. The junior transfer from Solano Community College did not allow two hits in an inning before the eighth. With the tying run at the plate, he got a fly ball to end the inning on his final pitch of the night.

The series continues with a doubleheader Saturday at noon and concludes with a single game Sunday at 11 a.m. All four games will be broadcast locally on Fox Sports 101.7 FM and 1340 AM and available online via the Wildcat Webcast link at www.chicowildcats.com.

UC San Diego is off to a rough start at 2-7, having dropped three of four at home against Western Oregon and then three of four at Colorado Mesa last weekend. However, that won’t quench the Wildcats’ motivation. UC San Diego won all five meetings between these teams last season, including a 13-9 decision in the CCAA Championship Tournament that proved dire to the Wildcats’ NCAA Championship Tournament hopes.

With Friday’s win, the Wildcats (5-0) evened the all-time series at 26 games apiece.

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