One of Chico State baseball coach Dave Taylor's favorite things about his 2016 team is its speed. In Saturday's 2016 opener, it became one of the Wildcat fans' favorites as well.
 
Cody Snider capped a ninth-inning rally built on speed with a walkoff infield single to lift Chico State to a 1-0 win against Menlo College at Nettleton Stadium. With two down and the bases loaded, and down to his final strike, the left-handed Snider slapped a chopper toward second. With Snider's speed and head start from the right side of the batters' box, once Dillon Kelley dodged the second baseman's tag attempt on the way to second, there was nothing for Menlo to do but walk off the field.
 

The Wildcats, meanwhile, rallied behind first base to mob Snider in celebration of an exciting start to the season.
 
Chico State starter Clayton Gelfand gave the Wildcats seven shutout innings, allowing only two hits and striking out five. Stuart Bradley struck out four and allowed just one hit in his two innings of work to earn his first victory in his first appearance in a Chico State uniform.
 
The Wildcats' ninth-inning rally started with Sonny Cortez's infield hit. The leadoff hitter beat out a grounder to short. He moved to second on Casey Bennett's bunt and reached third when Menlo third baseman Lucas Erceg threw high to first on Ben Gamba's grounder. Gamba was safe, and when first baseman Garrett Gemgani landed awkwardly coming back down on the base and the ball popped free, Cortez scurried to third.
 
Cortez was thrown out at home trying to score on Josh Falco's grounder versus a drawn-in infield. But with two runners on, when Kelley drew a walk, it loaded the bases for Snider and set the stage for the dramatic finish.
 
Cortez, who led off the game with a bunt single, was the only player in the game to finish with two hits.
 
The series continues Sunday with a doubleheader at 11 a.m.