LOS ANGELES – The Chico State baseball team's doubleheader disappointments continued Friday. The Wildcats dropped both games of a twinbill at Reeder Field on the campus of Cal State L.A. to fall dangerously back in the race for a postseason berth. Chico State lost the opener 9-7 and the nightcap 8-3, tumbling to 13-16 overall and 12-14 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association.
 
Much of the trouble the Wildcats find themselves in can be traced to twinbills.
 
Chico State is 2-10 in its last six doubleheaders. They've been swept on the second day of each of the last two weekends and four times in the last six. Having fallen from fifth to seventh place with the two losses Saturday, the Wildcats trail Cal State Monterey Bay by 4.5 games with 14 left in the race for the fourth and final CCAA Championship Tournament berth.
 
The Cal State L.A. (21-10, 16-7 CCAA) offense cuffed around the Wildcats' pitching staff Friday for 25 hits, striking quickly in both games. The Golden Eagles scored four times in the second inning of the opener and six more in the second inning of the nightcap.
 
Of the seven arms Head Coach Dave Taylor sent to the mound, only Jace Puckett and AJ Epstein emerged unscathed. Puckett produced three combined innings of no-hit relief and Epstein delivered a scoreless eighth in the opener.
 
Brad Lohse took the loss in the opener after allowing five runs on six hits and three walks in two-and-a-third innings. Hunter Haworth had similar struggles in the nightcap, allowing eight runs on 11 hits in four and two-thirds frames.
 
The Wildcats almost came from behind to win the opener, scoring four times in the seventh to trim their deficit to 8-7. But they stranded the tying and go-ahead run on base and were then retired in order in the eighth and ninth.
 
Danny Miller, Clayton Gelfand, Sean Smith and Jeff Ortega delivered RBIs in the seventh. Gelfand finished 3-for-5. Connor Huesers and Garcia were both 2-for-5 as Garcia extended his hitting streak to 10 games.
 
That streak came to an end in the nightcap even though the senior scratched out two walks in four trips to the plate and scored a run. Gelfand walked twice, singled home a run, and plated another with a sacrifice fly. Miller was 2-for-3 and Huesers had the Wildcats only other hit and scored a run.
 
The series concludes Saturday with a single game scheduled to start at 11 a.m.