Exactly a week ago Cody Bistline laid down a walkoff bunt single in the 10^th inning. He played the hero again Saturday – this time as a starter. Bistline went 2-for-3 with a triple and four RBI to lead the Chico State baseball team to an 8-3 victory in the first game of a doubleheader against Academy of Art at Nettleton Stadium.
 
Bistline smacked an RBI-single up the middle in the second, tripled home two with a laser down the left field line in the third, and bunted home another run in the fifth.
 
Josh Falco had a fabulous game as well, going 3-for-3 with a double and three runs scored. Cody Snider was 2-for-4 with a run and RBI to extend his season-opening hitting streak to eight games.
 
Steven Baker (1-0) allowed just a run on three hits in five innings to collect his first win as a Wildcat.
 
The second game did not go as well for the Wildcats, who committed five errors and threw six wild pitches in a 9-7 loss.
 
Chico State is now 7-2 after dropping two of three this weekend against the visiting Urban Knights. Academy of Art improved to 2-4.
 
Sonny Cortez created the Wildcats' first run in the opener, drawing a walk, moving to second on Cameron Santos' sacrifice bunt, stealing third, and then scoring on Ben Gamba's grounder.
 
Falco's leadoff single set the table for Bistline in the second. Bistline's hard single up the middle plated Falco (on second after a balk) for a 2-0 lead.
 
Bistline's two-run triple broke the game open in the third. Gamba and Dillon Kelley singled to start the frame and Falco drew a walk to load the bases. The rally stalled momentarily when Jimbo Pernetti lined out to second and Kelley was doubled off. But Snider's infield single scored Gamba and brought Bistline to the plate. The Chico State catcher's liner down the line ricocheted off the wall and away from the outfielder as both runners scored. Bistline glided into third standing up having given the Wildcats a 5-1 lead.
 
Chico State tacked on three more runs in the fifth to put the game away. Pernetti's double plated Falco, who led off the inning with a single. Snider's single put runners on the corners and Bistline laid a familiar-looking sacrifice bunt down the third base line to score pinch runner Dallas Porter and advance Snider to second.
 
Cortez capped the inning with an RBI-triple off the wall in right field.
 
The Wildcats were their own worst enemy in the second game, committing four errors, walking four, and firing five wild pitches in the first six innings while Academy of Art was building a 7-0 advantage.
 
They got a run back in the bottom of the sixth but were hoping for much more. Jerrett Maas hit a fielders' choice grounder to drive in the run. But later, with the bases loaded, Santos popped up to second to end the inning.
 
Chico State got three more runs in the eighth to get within striking distance. Clayton Gelfand, Cortez and Santos drove in runs to cut the lead to 8-4. Gelfand's infield single was the eighth pinch-hit of his career, tying him for fourth in the history of the program. He's two shy of the school record held by Ryan Watson and Ryan Wulfert.
 
Academy of Art added an insurance run in the top of the ninth that became a topic of conversation when Snider doubled home a run, scored on Maas' hit to make it 9-6, and Pernetti's infield single brought the tying run to the plate.
 
But the Wildcats' fourth walkoff win was not to be on this night.
 
After Dallas Porter drew a walk to load the bases, Cortez hit a fielders' choice grounder to make it 9-7. Santos hit a ball hard up the middle but Erick Luna stopped it with a dive and got the force out at second to end the game.
 
Maas finished 4-for-5 and is now hitting an even .500 (11-for-22). Snider went 2-for-4 and has hit safely in all nine games this season. Pernetti was 4-for-5.
 
The Wildcats are back in action next weekend for a three-game series at Holy Names. Friday night's game is at 4 p.m. Saturday's doubleheader will begin at noon.