Box Score CARSON – At the same time hundreds of Chico State students were gathering at the Student Services Center to perform their version of the Harlem Shake, the Wildcats baseball team was completing its own four-game shakedown of Cal State Dominguez Hills in Carson.

Nick Baker blazed through seven shutout innings and Blake Gibbs busted out of an early-season slump in the Wildcats’ 6-2 win. The 8th-ranked Wildcats improved to 8-0 overall and 4-0 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with their 10th straight win against the Toros.

Baker (1-0) retired the first 13 batters he faced – four via strikeout. He went seven strong, striking out seven and surrendering just three singles. Baker faced just one over the minimum in improving to 15-3 in two-plus seasons with the Wildcats. The junior’s career winning percentage of .833 is the third highest in school history among those with 18 or more decisions. And the Wildcats are 18-4 in his 22 collegiate starts.

Gibbs, a preseason First Team All-West Region selection, broke out of 4-for-21 slump with three hits, including a two-run homer – his first of the season. Gibbs also scored three runs.

Meanwhile, Ryne Clark and Austin Prott continued their torrid starts. Clark was 2-for-3 with three RBI to bump his batting average to .467, while Prott pounded out three hits, including a pair of doubles, and is now hitting .545.

The Wildcats provided Baker a quick cushion to work with, scoring a run in the second, two more in the third, and another in the fourth.

Gibbs and Ben Manlove singled before Cody Slader was hit by a pitch to load the bases in the second, and Clark lifted a sacrifice fly to center to make it 1-0.

Singles by Prott and Gibbs and a walk to Manlove set things up for Clark in the third. He responded by smoking a two-run single to left, pushing Chico State’s lead to 3-0.

Prott doubled and scored on Cody Webber’s two-bagger in the forth, and then Gibbs launched his eighth career long ball in the sixth to give Chico State a 6-0 edge.

The Toros finally broke three in the ninth after Steven Swift walked the bases full with one out, but Jeremy Perez got the final two outs to close the game.

The Wildcats, sure to move up in the national rankings on Monday, play their home home opener Wednesday at 2:30 against Northwest Nazarene University (5-3 heading into Monday’s finale of a five-game series at Hawaii Pacific). The series continues with a doubleheader Thursday at noon before concluding with a single game Friday at 2:30.