Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 Somebody's been reading the media guide. Make that a lot of somebodies on the Chico State pitching staff.
Chico State Baseball Coach Dave Taylor was asked about sorting out the roles on his staff heading into the season and had this to say in the preview story that ran in the 2014 Media Guide: "We'll see who can throw strikes and let our defense play… Our pitchers have to trust their defense – let the other eight guys do their thing."
They all did Thursday in a doubleheader sweep of Azusa Pacific. The 12th-ranked Wildcats won the first game 6-2 behind starter Alex Mistuloff's four shutout innings and then won the nightcap 1-0 on the strength of Nick Baker's three-hit shutout.
Chico State improved to 3-1 with its third straight win, while Azusa Pacific fell to 2-2.
The Chico State pitching staff walked only three in 16 combined innings of work and the defense that Taylor tells them to lean on played error-free baseball.
Mistuloff was the first of four pitchers to make his Chico State debut in the opener. He scattered five hits in four frames, striking out three, and didn't walk a batter. Sophomore Brad Lohse made his Wildcat introduction with two innings of relief, allowing just a single. Luke Barker needed only seven pitches to throw a 1-2-3 seventh, Jesse Silva made his first appearance in a Chico State uniform in the eighth, and then true freshman Clayton Gelfand closed the door in the ninth, striking out a pair.
Baker (1-0) cooked up his first career shutout in the second game. The senior faced just three hitters over the minimum for his 23rd career win – fourth most in school history. He kept the ball down and got 13 ground-ball outs.
Catcher Peter Miller gave the Wildcats all the offense they needed in the second inning with an RBI double.
Catcher Jake Bailey had the big hit in the first game. His two-run single in the fourth was the first knock off hard-throwing Josh Staumont, who struck out five in four innings but had trouble with his control.
The Wildcats extended the lead in the sixth on two-run singles by Jeffrey Ortega and Ruben Padilla.
The teams are scheduled to meet again Friday for a doubleheader scheduled to start at 11 a.m.
GAME NOTES – Eric Angerer was hit by a pitch in each game, bringing his career total to a school-record tying 45. Robby Poole was plunked 45 times from 2001-02. Angerer's been hit 31 times since the start of last season…Baker's strikeout to end the game was the 149th of his career. He's one shy of becoming the fourth Chico State pitcher with 150 career strikeouts...Gordon Deacon, who pinch hit in each game, is now 1-for-1 with a two-run single, HBP and sac bunt in three opportunities this season…Ronnie Galosic and Danny Miller both made great catches in right field…Angerer and Cody Slader struck down runners at the plate trying to score on the contact play in the early innings of the first game…Chico State is now 60-4 in regular-season games home games against non-conference opponents in the Dave Taylor era…The Wildcats drew more walks than Azusa Pacific in both games, improving to 176-36 (.830) when that happens in the Taylor era…Chico State pitching has put a zero on the board in 20 of its last 21 innings.
