Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 The Chico State baseball team’s pitching staff has often dominated teams this season. Now the Wildcats know how it feels to be on the receiving end. Sonoma State’s staff limited Chico State to six hits in a doubleheader sweep at Nettleton Stadium Saturday, winning the opener 2-1 and the nightcap 6-2.
The Seawolves also knocked Chico State out of first place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association and at least delayed the Wildcats’ postseason clincher. The 6th-ranked Wildcats fell to 32-11 overall and 25-10 in the CCAA with their fifth loss in the past seven games.
Chico State’s magic number to clinch a CCAA Championship Tournament berth remains at one. However, the Wildcats have fallen a half game behind Cal State L.A. and into a tie for second with Cal State Monterey Bay in their quest for a second straight conference title.
Sonoma State, ranked No. 30 in the nation, improved to 30-15 overall and 22-13 in the CCAA with its sixth win in a row. The Seawolves’ lead on fifth-place Cal State East Bay remains two games.
Harmen Sidhu (8-1) allowed only one hit – Ryne Clark’s two-out infield single in the fifth – in five innings for the win in the opener while lowering his ERA to 0.92. Glenn Wallace earned his first save, getting three outs on two pitches in the ninth, and then threw a complete-game five-hitter in the nightcap to improve to 7-1. His ERA actually rose to 0.82.
Troy Neiman took the game-one loss for Chico State, falling to 7-3 despite six strong innings of work. The lanky right-hander gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks. He struck out five. Luke Barker, Ryan O’Shea and Morgan Yee combined on three shutout innings of relief.
But Chico State’s offense couldn’t generate a comeback despite drawing seven walks over the final four innings.
They finally broke through in the eighth. Cody Slader and Eric Angerer walked before Pierson Jeremiah sacrificed them up a base. The sacrifice bunt was the 19th of Jeremiah’s career and his 15th this season. Both totals are tied with Scott Thompson for the third most in Chico State history.
Cody Webber mustered just a sacrifice fly, however, cutting Sonoma State’s lead to 2-1, before Blake Gibbs grounded out to end the inning.
Austin Prott drew a leadoff walk in the ninth, but Wallace came on and induced a double play grounder and grounder to third on consecutive pitches to end the game.
Things were looking up for the Wildcats early in the nightcap. Clark drew first blood with an RBI single in the first and Mike Botelho breezed through the first two innings.
But Sonoma State struck for three runs in the third to take the lead for good. The Seawolves took advantage of some suspect defense. Botelho misplayed a bunt, both Slader and Kenny Corona failed to make makeable plays on ground balls up the middle, and then catcher Ben Manlove made a throwing error to allow the third run of the inning to score.
Botelho misplayed another bunt in the fourth leading to another Sonoma State run that stretched the lead to 4-1.
Chico State cut the lead to 5-2 in the fifth when Ben Manlove drew a leadoff walk and came around to score on Eric Angerer’s sacrifice fly, but failed to get another runner into scoring position.
Botelho took the loss, falling to 4-4, after allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits in four frames.
The Wildcats will likely turn to Kagen Hopkins to help turn things around in Sunday’s 5:30 p.m. series finale – the Capital City Clash II – at Raley Field in Sacramento. Hopkins is 7-0 with a 1.97 ERA and has not allowed a run in his past 20 and two-thirds innings of work.
They’re also hoping that a change of scenery will help spur an offense that’s now mustered only nine runs in the last five games.
