SAN FRANCISCO – Chico State baseball came away with a 14-7 win in a sloppy series opener Friday afternoon at San Francisco State. On a windy day in The Swamp, the 'Cats battled the elements and their own mistakes to take care business.
 
Chico State's bats remained as hot as they have been all year and today's hitting spree was a team affair. Every Wildcat starter reached base by the sixth inning and the offense rose to the occasion every time the Gators would push a few runs across.
 

Four players in the lineup had two hits for the 'Cats. Dylan Kelley added his fourth homer of the year with a two-run moon shot to left field in the third inning. Ben Gamba drove in three runs, bringing his California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA)-leading RBI total to 53 on the year.
 
The Wildcats have normally enjoyed quality starts from Clayton Gelfand in series openers, but Friday was a bit of a struggle for the team's ace. Gelfand made his way into the sixth inning and kept himself inline for the win, but it was certainly a grind as his command just wasn't where it normally is. He allowed four runs (two earned) on seven hits, two walks, and two hit batters and struck out two to improve to 8-4 on the season.    
 
Although Chico State's bullpen performance wasn't exactly shutdown, it was gritty and much needed. Grant Wright and Stuart Bradley both came into the game with runners in scoring positions and no inherited runner would score. Wright entered with two on and one out in the sixth and got a double-play grounder on his first pitch of the game. Bradley entered an 8-7 game in the seventh with the tying run on second and got a fly ball to end the inning. He threw two and a third scoreless innings, allowing one hit, to collect his second save of the season.
 
San Francisco State had a solid day offensively as well but just couldn't find a pitcher to keep them close, so they used six. Myles Franklin, Bryce Brooks, and Chris Nicholson all had two hits and combined for six RBI and four runs for the Gators.
 
The Wildcats had four errors on the day, including two in the outfield. They came into the weekend ranked 10th in the conference on defense and scuffled once again.
 
The scoring started in the bottom of the first as San Francisco State pushed two across. Chico State answered back with three of their own in the third, including the bomb from Kelley. By the fourth inning, the lead had changed four times.
 
The 'Cats held an 8-4 lead going into the bottom of the seventh inning, but thanks to a few errors and some timely hits, the Gators took a bite out of that and the advantage was down to 8-7.
 
But, as they did all day, Chico State's bats picked the squad up. The Wildcats dropped a four-spot in the eighth and added two more runs in the top of the ninth.
 
With the win, Chico State improves to 29-14 overall and 19-12 in the CCAA. San Francisco State drops to 19-21 and 11-16.
 
The Wildcats stretched their CCAA North Division lead over idle Cal State Monterey Bay to 1.5 games and lowered their magic number to clinch a CCAA Championship berth to four. Any combination of four Chico State wins and Sonoma State losses would wrap up a spot in the postseason for the Wildcats.
 
The Wildcats have seven games remaining and Sonoma State eight. The Seawolves open a four-game series against Stanislaus State tomorrow.
 
Chico State's four-game series at San Francisco State continues with a doubleheader Saturday at noon and concludes with a single game Sunday at noon. The Wildcats will wrap up the regular season with a four-game series at Stanislaus State next weekend.