Box Score OAKLAND – A few tried and true baseball rules to live by: Keep your eyes on the ball, wear a cup, and don’t schedule Chico State for a season-opening series.
The Wildcats completed a four-game sweep of Academy of Art Sunday, beating the Urban Knights 8-3 at Laney College in Oakland, improving to 50-5-1 in season-opening series’ since 1996. The Wildcats are 24-1 in season-opening series’ since Head Coach Dave Taylor took the program’s reigns, including 14-0 over the past four seasons.
Starting pitcher Nick Baker blew the Urban Knights away and Austin Prott ignited an eight-run seventh-inning rally with a pinch-hit, two-run single to key the 9th-ranked Wildcats’ victory. Chico State has now won seven straight and 11 of its last 12 true road games dating back to last season.
Baker struck out nine of the 18 hitters he faced, including eight of nine during one stretch spanning the second through fourth innings. He allowed just one run on two hits and walked two.
However, that single fifth-inning run was the only score of the game through six before the Wildcats blew it open. Blake Gibbs’ single and a pair of walks loaded the bases for Prott, who came off the bench and gave the Wildcats the lead for good with a two-run single. Kenny Corona then walked to reload the bases before Eric Angerer was hit by a pitch to drive in a run. Pierson Jeremiah walked in the fourth run of the frame before Cody Webber broke the game open with a two-run double. Gibbs plated another run with a sacrifice fly and Webber scored on a wild pitch to make it 8-1.
Steven Swift (1-0) earned the win in relief in his first game in a Wildcats uniform. The University of Washington transfer allowed two runs on three hits in three innings. Jeremy Perez pitched the ninth, allowing one hit before closing the game with a strikeout.
Dempsey finished 1-for-1 and reached base all four times he stepped to the plate. He drew a pair of walks and was plunked in his other at-bat. Corona contributed a hit and two walks.
In fact, the Wildcats walked a rolled all weekend. The compiled more walks (25) than strikeouts (23) and totaled an astounding 16 hit batsmen. Meanwhile, Chico State’s pitching staff struck out 43 and walked only seven.
They also thrived during the later innings, outscoring the Urban Knights 24-2 from the seventh inning on.
The Wildcats will hope for much of the same next weekend when the travel to take on Cal State Dominguez Hills in a four-game conference-opening series. The Toros (3-2) took two of three from Academy of Art to open the season and split a pair of games against Pt. Loma Nazarene on Saturday.
The series opens with a single game Friday at noon, continues with a doubleheader Saturday at 11, and concludes with a single game Sunday at 11.
