CHICO – The skies were gray and ominous Monday, but unlike the previous afternoon when rain and hail halted play, Chico State and Cal State Monterey Bay were able to finish what they started Sunday and then get plenty of innings in with the day’s regularly scheduled doubleheader. The visiting Otters started the day by put the finishing touches on a 9-4 win to wrap up Sunday’s suspended game, then nipped the Wildcats 3-2 in the first game of the twinbill. The Wildcats were able to earn a split in the nightcap, as a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning gave Chico State a much-needed win.
The Wildcats improved to 18-7 on the year with Monday’s victory, and are now tied for fifth place in the California Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAA) with an 8-7 conference record. By taking two of the first three in the series, Cal State Monterey Bay improves to 15-10 overall and 8-7 in CCAA play.
The two teams resumed Sunday’s suspended game with the Otters leading 9-3 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. After Juan Guerra struck out Jesse Olson to close out Monterey Bay’s half of the inning, Chico State made some noise in the bottom of the ninth, using two walks and an RBI single by Shane Kroker to pull to within 9-4. The Wildcats loaded the bases with nobody out, but any thought of a miraculous comeback were dashed by Otters closer Harold Zosel, who came in to strike out a pair and get Myles Dempsey to pop up to shortstop, giving Monterey Bay the multi-day series opening win. Otters starter Aaron Appino got credit for the win to move to 4-0 on the season, with Zosel picking up his fifth save; ’Cats starter Kagen Hopkins took the loss to fall to 3-2 on the year. Kroker, Cody Foster and Ben Manlove each had two hits for Chico State in the losing effort.
BOX SCORE - Sunday's suspended game one
The opener of the regularly scheduled doubleheader was an old-fashioned pitcher’s duel between Donny Medlinger of Monterey Bay and the Wildcats’ Troy Neiman. The two starters combined for 21 strikeouts, with Medlinger allowing just three hits over seven innings. Chico State jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Foster tripled home T.J. Yasuhara and scored on a Gibbs sacrifice fly to center.
Neiman made the two-run margin stand up until the top of the fourth inning, when the Otters pushed across what turned out to be their only three runs of the game. Aided by a Wildcat error, Monterey Bay tied the scored on a two-run single by Olson; then back-to-back singles by Danny Nelson and Jared DeCastro gave the Otters a one-run lead. Medlinger, with relief help from Zosel and Dylan Auker, shut down Chico State the rest of the way, holding the ’Cats hitless over the final four innings to post the 3-2 victory. Medlinger got the win to improve to 4-1 on the year; Neiman took the tough-luck loss for Chico State, dropping to 2-1 on the season.
BOX SCORE - Doubleheader game one
Things didn’t start well for the Wildcats in the nightcap, as Monterey Bay scored a run in the second and two in the third against Chico State starter Luke Barker. Chico State’s offense finally awoke in the bottom of the third inning, using a two-out, two-run single by Webber and a two-run double by Eric Angerer to take the lead. The Otters knotted up the contest at 4-4 when Barker surrendered two singles and a DeCastro sacrifice fly, but the Otters left two runners in scoring position when Barker fanned Jason Merjano to end the inning.
The game was still tied heading into the bottom of the seventh, but Chico State made sure there would not be extra innings on an already long day of baseball. Manlove opened the frame with an infield single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Yasuhara. With two outs and first base open, Monterey Bay elected to walk Foster, who was 3-for-3 in the game. That brought up Gibbs, who rifled a screaming liner to right field that went over Tommy George’s outstretched glove and up against the wall, easily scoring Manlove to give the Wildcats the 5-4 win and the doubleheader split. Juan Guerra (1-0) go the win in relief, with the Otters’ Jordan Helmkamp (1-1) getting saddled with the loss.
BOX SCORE - Doubleheader game two
Chico State and Monterey Bay wrap up the four-game series tomorrow with a nine-inning contest beginning at 11 a.m.
