Box Score Feel free to call Chico State starting pitcher Nick Baker "The Professor." He taught class in Friday's 8-2 win against Academy of Art at Nettleton Stadium. It's title: How to become one of the winningest pitchers in school history.

Baker had one of his classic games, spinning six and two-third innings of scoreless baseball for his 24th career win, tying him with Chico State Athletics Hall of Famer and College World Series champion Josh Osborn. He struck out six and allowed three hits and one walk. Baker didn't allow a hit that left the infield until the sixth. He induced double-play grounders to retire two of the four runners that reached against him and fielded his position well, making two nice plays to throw out runners at first.

Baker also moved into fourth in career strikeouts by raising his total to 158 in improving to 2-1 on the season. Jesse Silva got the Wildcats out of an eighth-inning jam by inducing a comebacker, and Matt Hutchins pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.

Chico State, ranked 21st in the nation, improved to 7-3. Academy of Art, which entered the game hitting .323, fell to 4-5. The series continues with a doubleheader Saturday at 11 a.m. and concludes with a single game Sunday at 11 a.m.

Baker wasn't the only Wildcat to reach a milestone Friday. Eric Angerer sparked a five-run sixth inning with a one-out double off the left field wall.

Ryne Clark cracked a two-run single in the inning. Peter Miller and Cody Slader slapped RBI singles. Tyler Madrid was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in the fifth run of the frame that stretched Chico State's lead to 8-0.

Kenny Corona's RBI single in the second staked the Wildcats to an early lead and then Blake Walker and Ruben Padilla drove in runs in the third to stretch the advantage to 3-0.

Walker went 2-for-4 with a pair of stolen bases and Slader scored two runs and also swiped two bases.