ROHNERT PARK – "It isn't over until the final squeeze." The Chico State softball team, 3-1 winners in the opener of Saturday's doubleheader against Sonoma State, was just one out away from a much-needed twinbill sweep, but found out the hard way how true those words truly are, as the host Seawolves plated three two-out runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to steal a 4-3 victory in the nightcap at Seawolf Field in Rohnert Park. As a result, Sonoma State won the weekend series three games to one.

 

Saturday's doubleheader split gives Chico State an overall record of 22-16 and a 15-13 mark in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play. With Cal State San Bernardino splitting its twinbill with Cal State Stanislaus and UC San Diego and Cal State Dominguez Hills dropping both ends of Saturday doubleheaders, the Wildcats wrap up the weekend sitting in fifth place in the conference standings, a half-game behind the fourth place Coyotes. Sonoma State, third in the CCAA, now sits at 31-14 on the season and 18-9 in conference play.
 
Emily McEnaney and Desiree' Gonzalez each had three hits to lead the Chico State offense Saturday, with Kelli Keefe picking up a pair of safeties on the afternoon.
 
In game one of Saturday's double dip, Sonoma State opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the second inning. The Wildcats answered in the top of the third – Keefe doubled and Alli Cook singled, setting the table for Brynn Lesovsky, who doubled both runners home to put Chico State on top. McEnaney promptly doubled in Lesovsky to give the 'Cats a 3-1 lead.
 
Wildcats starting pitcher Haley Gilham kept Sonoma State at bay the rest of the way, wiggling out of bases-loaded, one-out jams in the fourth and sixth innings and retiring the Seawolves in order in the bottom of the seventh to lock down Chico State's 3-1 win. Notching her 14th complete game of the season, Gilham improved to 11-7 with the victory. McEnaney had two of the Wildcats' seven hits in the contest.
 
Chico State looked like it would score first in the nightcap, but in the opening frame Ashley Huff was thrown out at the plate on the front end of a double steal. In the top of the second inning the Wildcats loaded the bases with one out but also came away empty. Sonoma State led off its half of the second with a triple, but 'Cats starting pitcher Brooke Langeloh recorded a strikeout and a pair of popups to get out of the jam unscathed.
 
The Wildcats finally broke through in the top of the third inning – Gonzlalez smoked a two-out double to left to plate McEnaney and scored on a Tori Zimmermann single to put Chico State in front. Keefe followed with an RBI double to give the Wildcats a 3-0 lead.
 
It stayed that way until the sixth, when the Seawolves scored a run to pull to within two. Langeloh went into the bottom of the seventh up 3-1, but with two on and Sonoma State down to its final out, Keeley Ray tied the score with an RBI double to left field. Three pitches later, the Seawolves walked off the field a winner, as Mayleen Mazon doubled down the right field line to plate Ray to give Sonoma State the come-from-behind 4-3 victory, the doubleheader split and the series win.  
 
Langeloh struck out six in going the distance for the 10th time this season, but suffered the hard-luck loss to slip to 10-8 on the season. Gonzalez finished the nightcap 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles.
 
Chico State is back in action next weekend, playing its final home games of the regular season versus No. 13 Humboldt State. The Wildcats and Lumberjacks will play doubleheaders starting Friday at 1 p.m. and Saturday at 11 a.m.