Box Score Pitching and defense carried the Chico State baseball team to the No. 5 ranking in the nation and the top of the California Collegiate Athletic Association 31 games into the season. They both let the Wildcats down in an 8-7 loss to Cal State East Bay at Nettleton Stadium.
 
The Wildcats fell to 26-7 overall and 18-6 in the CCAA.
 
Even Chico State's offense got into the act. After a furious rally, in which they scored four times in the seventh and three more in the ninth to pull within 8-7 with one out and the bases loaded, cleanup hitter Tyler Madrid struck out for the second out Ryan McClellan grounded out sharply to end the game.
 
The win was Cal State East Bay's (17-15, 11-13 CCAA) second straight, securing a series split. The Pioneers' 15 hits are the most allowed by the Wildcats this season and their eight runs are the most scored by an opponent at Nettleton Stadium this season.
 
Chico State starting pitcher Derek Sesma (0-1) surrendered three runs in two innings and Alex Mistuloff and Robert Hook allowed two runs apiece as Chico State fell behind 7-0 in the first five frames.
 
A leadoff walk and two-run error by Ruben Padilla fueled the Pioneers' three-run fifth inning.
 
Cal State East Bay made it 8-0 when pitcher Clayton Gelfand fielded a sacrifice bunt and threw it up the line for an error. It marked just the fourth multi-error game of the season for the Wildcats.
 
Jake Bailey's pinch three-run triple and Cody Slader's sacrifice fly in the seventh cut Chico State's deficit in half.
 
Ryne Clark's bases-loaded infield single made it an 8-5 game with one down in the ninth. Dylan Garcia singled up the middle to make it 8-6. Then Padilla lined a single to right to make it 8-7.
 
Madrid, the Wildcats' cleanup hitter and RBI leader was ahead in the count 2-1 before striking out. McClellan's ground ball was hit sharply, but snagged by third baseman Ryan Kochan, moving to his left, and then thrown to second for the force out.
 
Padilla ran his hitting streak to nine games with a 2-for-5 performance. Clark, who has a seven-game hitting streak, went 2-for-5 and reached base for the 17^th game in a row.
 
Chico State will have to live with this one for a while before getting back on the diamond for a four-game series with Cal State Dominguez Hills beginning Friday at 6 p.m. at Nettleton Stadium.