Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 The sweep was in sight for the Chico State baseball team. The ball was in flight. Ronnie Galosic gave a herculean effort, diving headlong from a full sprint. He somehow snared the third out and sweep-sealing win… but only for a moment. As Galosic crashed to the turf the ball jarred loose, and as it dribbled away, so did the Wildcats' four-game sweep of defending California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) champion Cal State Monterey Bay.

Chico State won the first game of Sunday's double-dip 14-2 and led the nightcap 2-0 with two down and no one on in the final frame. But the Otters coaxed a walk to start the rally and then had four straight hits off Drew Freeman (0-2) to earn the improbable win. Richie Johnson's was the game-winner, a slicing drive down the right field line that turned into a two-run double.

Galosic almost turned it into one of the greatest game-ending catches you'll ever see.

Chico State is now 13-4 overall and 5-3 in the CCAA. Cal State Monterey Bay is 6-13 overall and 3-9 in the CCAA.

The 19th-ranked Wildcats scored a seasons highs in runs and hits in the first game. They also benefitted from five Cal State Monterey Bay Otters in putting up crooked numbers in the fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth.

Ryan McClellan went 3-for-3 with a double, two runs and an RBI. Ryne Clark was 3-for-6 with two runs, a stolen base and an RBI. Ruben Padilla and Danny Miller drove in two runs apiece. Cody Slader was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and an RBI.

Brad Lohse got the win for the Wildcats. The sophomore starter scattered six hits in five frames, allowing his first two runs of the season, in improving to 3-0. Luke Barker pitched a perfect four innings in relief for his fourth save of the season.

The Wildcats jumped right back into the lead in the first inning of Game Two. Eric Angerer was hit by a pitch leading off, stole second, and scored on Jeffrey Ortega's line single to right.

The Wildcats added another run on an odd play in the third. The squeeze play may have been on as Slader sprinted down the line from third, but the catcher stepped in front of Ortega, caught the ball, and tagged him out. The catcher was called for interference, however and Slader was awarded home plate, giving the Wildcats a 2-0 edge.

That's how it remained until the Otters' two-out rally.

Derek Sesma made his first start for the Wildcats, throwing four scoreless innings. Freeman got his friend off the hook in the fifth, relieving to escape a no-out, runners on second and third jam.

Slader finished with two of the Wildcats' four stolen bases. The loss snapped a 30-game win streak for the Wildcats when they steal four bases or more.

Chico State is off next weekend and returns to CCAA play with a four-game series at Cal State L.A. March 14-16. The Wildcats won't be back home until March 28 when they begin a four-game set against San Francisco State.