Roger Boulden squeezed the final strike of the ninth inning and sprinted into the dugout like he wanted to continue playing. Outside of the fact he was putting the squeeze on an important 8-1 win for the Chico State baseball team, there were many others who didn’t want the 2012 home finale to come to an end either. It was a gorgeous day at Nettleton Stadium, where the Wildcats finished 25-5 this season, and the final home appearance for the team’s six seniors – Matt Anderson, Cody Foster, Juan Guerra, Shane Kroker, Ian McKay and TJ Yasuhara.
They all played roles in the win that completed a four-game sweep of Cal State Dominguez Hills. McKay mashed a two-run homer, while Anderson and Yasuhara had two hits apiece. Yasuhara’s first-inning double was the 100th hit of his career. Foster walked and scored during a five-run third that broke the game open. Kroker did not record a hit, but cracked a deep fly ball to center in a seventh inning pinch-hit appearance. And Guerra got the Toros in order in the eighth, striking out the final two hitters he’ll ever face at Nettleton Stadium.
The Wildcats also benefitted from some strong performances from their underclassmen. Pierson Jeremiah went 2-for-3, scored twice, and drove in a run. Blake Gibbs cracked a two-run double during the five-run third. And Cody Webber added an RBI-single.
Starting pitcher Luke Barker scattered eight hits in six innings, allowing just one run, to improve to 5-2. He struck out four and walked one. Chris Rodriguez, Guerra, and Ryan O’Shea pitched an inning each of hitless relief.
O’Shea’s outing was particularly impressive as he was making his first appearance in nearly two months and looked very sharp, striking out two in a 1-2-3 inning.
The Wildcats, ranked No. 4 in the West Region entering the weekend, improved to 33-13 overall and 23-13 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) and now stand just one win away from wrapping up a postseason berth for the 17th time in the last 18 years.
They’ll wrap up their regular season next weekend with a four-game series at Cal State Stanislaus. With a sweep, the Wildcats would earn the top seed in the CCAA Championship Tournament May 10-12 in La Jolla. With at least one win, they’d guarantee themselves no worse than the third seed.
That series begins with a single game Friday at 3 p.m., continues with an 11 a.m. doubleheader Saturday, and wraps with a single game Sunday morning at 11.
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