Not unlike the Tower Bridge looming beyond the right-field wall at Raley Field, home of Sunday's Capital City Clash – the series finale between the Chico State and Sonoma State baseball teams – this weekend's games represent a golden opportunity to reach a desired destination.
Chico State, ranked No. 6 in the nation and No. 2 in the West Region, needs to win three of four games to claim the California Collegiate Athletic Association regular-season title. The Wildcats are 35-9 overall and 27-8 in the CCAA.
Sonoma State (25-12 overall and 22-6 in the CCAA) would also take home the title with three wins and could do the same with a series split depending upon UC San Diego's success this weekend, and possibly, a complicated tiebreaker scenario.
Sunday's game is scheduled for 1 p.m. The series starts with a single game Friday at 3 p.m. in Rohnert Park and continues with a doubleheader at Seawolf Diamond Saturday at 11 a.m. The final three games of the series will be broadcast locally on AM 1290-KPAY and all four games will be streamed live at ChicoWildcats.com.
Both teams have already secured a spot in the CCAA Championship Tournament May 8-11 at Banner Island Ballpark in Stockton. All that's left now to do is determine the regular-season conference champion and seedings.
The NCAA Championship Tournament West Regional picture is much cloudier: Especially for the Seawolves. While Chico State has built an impressive tournament resume and has the No. 2 ranking to show for it, Sonoma State has not yet cracked the regional rankings, presumably because of a lack of quality opposition. The Seawolves' series against UC San Diego and Cal Poly Pomona were washed out. Thus, this weekend presents an opportunity for Sonoma State to bolster its own resume.
GAME NOTES – This is the third Capital City Clash. Chico State won in 2012 and Sonoma State in 2013…Sonoma State swept the series last season during a run in which the Wildcats lost eight of 10 heading into the NCAA Tournament where they turned things around to reach the Regional title game…The Wildcats lead the series 116-74 and are 36-31 in Rohnert Park…The Wildcats were 23-5 in conference games this season against the same teams Sonoma State played on the way to a 22-6 record…The Wildcats have won nine of 12 series this season and split the other three…Chico State's Eric Angerer is hitting .556 (15 for 27) during his current nine-game hitting streak and he's reaching base at a .619 clip over his last 11 games…Chico State starting pitcher Nick Baker is three strikeouts shy of 200 in his career. He would be the third Wildcat to reach that milestone, joining John-Eric Hernandez (334 strikeouts from 1997-2000) and Nick Baker (266 from 2004-07).
