Saturday’s doubleheader at Nettleton Stadium was played under foreboding dark clouds, but the only day’s only storm emanated from the Chico State dugout when the Wildcats stormed the field following Blake Gibbs’ third walk-off hit of the season.
Gibbs’ lightening-bolt to center, Chico State’s fourth straight hit, scored Pierson Jeremiah from second to lift the Wildcats a 5-4 win and doubleheader sweep of Cal State East Bay. The Wildcats won the first game 7-4.
Chico State rallied to tie the nightcap 3-3 heading to the seventh before Cal State East Bay reclaimed the lead in the seventh. But TJ Yasuhara led off the bottom of the seventh with a double. Jeremiah’s infield single put runners on the corners, and Cody Foster’s base hit through the left side plated Yasuhara to tie the game.
Gibbs twice tried unsuccessfully to lay down a sacrifice bunt to move the winning run to third before rifling the next pitch he saw up the middle. The Wildcats stormed from the dugout and swarmed Gibbs in a familiar scene. Gibbs also had game-winning hits in the final inning at home Monday against Cal State Monterey Bay and Feb. 26 against San Francisco State. It marked Chico State’s fourth walk-off hit at home this season.
Yasuhara, Jeremiah and Ian McKay had two hits apiece for the Wildcats, who had just three hits and failed to score over the first four frames. They cut the deficit to 3-1 in the fifth when McKay singled and came around to score on Ben Manlove’s sacrifice fly and then rallied for two more runs in the sixth to tie the game.
Gibbs’ one-out walk got the rally started. After Myles Dempsey was hit by a pitch, Eric Angerer drilled a hit-and-run single through the right side to plate Gibbs. Shane Kroker’s RBI-grounder tied the game at 3-3.
Charlie Sharrer’s RBI-double off Sean Martin gave the Pioneers the lead once again, but that lead didn’t last long.
Martin (3-2) got the win in one inning of relief. Wildcats starter Luke Barker settled down nicely after allowing just two runs on five hits in the first. The redshirt freshman scattered five hits while allowing just one run over his next five frames to keep the Wildcats within striking distance.
Chico State, ranked No. 4 in the nation, improved to 22-7 overall and 12-7 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with the sweep. The Wildcats (20-5 at Nettleton Stadium) moved percentage points ahead of UC San Diego into second place in the CCAA.
Cal State East Bay fell to 9-16 overall and 3-12 in the CCAA.
Troy Neiman (3-1) earned the win in the opener, allowing just four hits and one run in seven innings of work. The junior struck out four and walked just one. Mike Botelho retired the Pioneers in order in the ninth to earn his second save in as many games and sixth of the season.
Dempsey drove in three runs for the Chico State offense, while Foster and Gibbs banged out two hits apiece.
Cal State East Bay got its only run against Neiman in the first, benefitting from an infield single, stolen base, ground ball, and wild pitch.
Angerer’s RBI-single tied the game in the second, and the Wildcats took the lead for good with a three-run third. Manlove led off the inning with a walk, and after Roger Boulden’s infield single, the Wildcats took the lead on a fielding error. Gibbs drove in Manlove with a ground ball and Dempsey brought Boulden home with a squeeze bunt to make it 4-1.
Chico State broke the game open in the seventh. Ian McKay was hit by a pitch, Cody Foster walked, and Gibbs reached on a bunt single to load the bases with no one out. Dempsey’s single to left plated two runs and then Gibbs later scored on a double-steal.
Cal State East Bay rallied with a three-run eighth, but Botelho closed the door in the ninth.
The series concludes with a single game Sunday morning at 11. Every Chico State baseball game can be heard locally on Fox Sports 101.7 FM and 1340 AM. The broadcasts are also accessible via streaming audio by clicking on the Wildcat Webcast link on the right side of this page.
BOX SCORE - GAME 1
BOX SCORE - GAME 2
