CHICO – You couldn’t have conjured up two games that differed as drastically as Friday’s Chico State-Academy of Art doubleheader. The No. 15 Wildcats took no prisoners in the opener, banging out 15 hits in four innings en route to a 9-0 victory over the visiting Urban Knights. But in the nightcap, the ’Cats had to scrap for the win, coming up with three runs with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to steal a 6-5 victory and sweep the twinbill at University Softball Field.
The two wins raised Chico State’s season record to 9-2, matching the sizzling start of last year’s Wildcat team that reached the NCAA West Regional. The doubleheader loss dropped Academy of Art to 2-9 overall.
The ’Cats featured several standout offensive performances – Britt Wright had five hits in seven at-bats Friday, while Diana Payan reached base five times and drove in five runs. Hailey Stockman and Rachel Failla each went 3-for-5 on the day, with Failla driving in three runs in the opener and Stockman scoring four times over the two contests. Freshman Emily McEnaney knocking in four runs in the nightcap, and Sam Quadt hit safely in both games to extend her season-opening hitting streak to 11 straight.
In game one, Chico State starter Sam Baker’s four innings of two-hit, shutout ball were backed with plenty of run support by her Wildcat teammates. In the bottom of first inning a bases-loaded walk to Cassidy Olson followed by Payan’s run-scoring single and an RBI double by Failla gave the ’Cats a quick 3-0 lead. In the bottom of the third, Olson led off the inning with a double, stole third and scored on an infield single by Payan to make it a 4-0 contest, then in the fourth the Wildcats broke the game open by scoring five times – two-run singles by Payan and Failla and an RBI base hit by Kelli Keefe doing the damage as Chico State’s advantage ballooned to 9-0. Kayla McConnell took over in the pitcher’s circle and struck out the side in the top of the fifth inning to lock down the Wildcats game one victory. Baker struck out four and got credit for the win to improve to 4-1 on the season.
BOX SCORE - Game One
The nightcap was a different story altogether, with the ’Cats playing catch-up nearly the entire contest. Academy of Art capitalized on a leadoff walk and scored a run against Wildcat starter Jessica McDermott in the top of the first inning. Chico State quickly knotted up the contest in the bottom of the second when McEnaney’s sacrifice fly plated Stockman but in the top of the third inning, the Urban Knights went up 2-1 on doubles by Lauren Stover and Andrea Hanchey.
In the bottom of the sixth inning the Wildcats rallied to move out in front, 3-2; McEnaney providing the big blow with a two-run double to chase home Quadt and Stockman. But McConnell, who relieved McDermott in the third inning, couldn’t get the final three outs in the top of the seventh, leaving with the bases loaded and one out. Olson, making her Wildcat debut in the pitcher’s circle, surrendered back-to-back RBI singles and a sacrifice fly as Academy of Art took a 5-3 lead.
The Wildcats answered when Wright led off the bottom of the seventh with a triple, but two batters later Chico State still trailed by a pair and down to its final out. But Urban Knights pitcher Haily MacDonald, who had tossed a gem up to that point, unraveled – a hit batter and consecutive walks to Olson, Payan and McEnaney forced home two runs to tie the score. Failla then stepped to the plate and chopped a grounder to the hole at short, but Genna Allen’s throw to first was high, pulling Hanchey off the bag – the error allowed Olson to score from third with the game-winner and give Chico State the come-from-behind 6-5 victory.
BOX SCORE - Game Two
The Wildcats return to California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) conference action weekend, traveling to Arcata to take on Humboldt in Friday and Saturday doubleheaders.
