Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 ARCATA – With its season in the balance and its back to the wall, the Chico State softball team scored two huge victories Friday in the NCAA Championship Tournament West Sub-Regional and advance to Saturday's championship round. The Wildcats racked up 13 hits and used a six-run fourth inning to overcome five errors and a three-run deficit to defeat Sonoma State 9-4 in Friday's first elimination game, then avenged Thursday's loss to California Baptist by blanking the Lancers 6-0 in the second elimination game at HSU Softball Field in Arcata.  
 
Chico State is now 40-15 on the year, becoming just the second Wildcat team in the program's 48-year history to win 40 games in a season. The 'Cats have a tall order facing them Saturday – they'll need to beat Humboldt State (47-5-1) twice to advance to next week's NCAA West Super Regional. One loss to the Lumberjacks and Chico State's season will come to a close.
 
The Wildcat offense was potent Friday, collecting 22 hits over their two victories. Alli Cook had five hits on the day, while Cyrena Taylor had four hits – including three doubles – and knocked in five runs. Brynn Lesovsky collected three safeties, with Cailin Garmon, Desiree' Gonzalez, Sarah Galaviz and Rachel DeHart all picking up two hits apiece.
 
Brooke Langeloh got things done in the pitcher's circle for the 'Cats, tossing 11-and-a-third shutout innings Friday including a two-hit shutout against Cal Baptist. Langeloh got credit for both victories to improve to 22-6 on the year while lowering her earned run average to 2.02.
 
In Friday's first elimination game against Sonoma State, the Seawolves jumped out to an early lead, as Carlie Daniel delivered a two-run single and Lindsey Calcany Blair walked with the bases loaded in the bottom of the first inning. Chico State left runners on base in each of the first two frames, but in the top of the third the Wildcats tied the score on an RBI single by Cook and a Taylor two-run double.
 
Sonoma went back in front 4-3 on Alison Strucula's two-out, bases-loaded single in the bottom of the third inning, but Chico State answered immediately: Galaviz scored on a two-out single by Ari Marsh, then Lesovsky put the 'Cats in front on a bloop single down the right field line. Gonzalez followed with a line single to center to plate Marsh; a bases-loaded walk to Langeloh forced home another run and a two-run single by DeHart capped off the six-run rally and extended Chico State's lead to 9-4.
 
Langeloh, on in relief of Wildcat starting pitcher Haley Gilham, kept the Seawolves off the scoreboard the rest of the way, tossing 4.1 innings of shutout ball. Sonoma put two aboard in the top of the seventh, but Langeloh induced a groundout off the bat of Strycula to end it, giving the 'Cats the 9-4 victory.
 
Against Cal Baptist, Langeloh and Kellye Springstead of the Lancers locked into an impressive pitcher's duel early on. The Wildcats had three opportunities to break the seal, but left the bases loaded in the top of the first inning, stranded a pair in the third and left Garmon at second base in the top of the fourth.
 
The game remained scoreless until the top of the fifth inning, when Lesovsky doubled and came home when Taylor doubled into the left-center field gap. Megan Bowley followed with a clutch pinch-hit single up the middle to chase home Gonzalez and Cheyenne Sandoval to put the Wildcats up 3-0.
 
Cal Baptist threatened in the bottom of the fifth inning, putting two aboard and getting the tying run to the plate with one out. Langeloh worked her way out of the jam by getting Jacque Lopez to fly out and Erin Burkhart to pop out to DeHart at second.
 
The Wildcats went up 6-0 with three runs in the top of the sixth. Gonzalez delivered an RBI single and Taylor knocked in Lesovsky and Gonzalez with a double to left-center.
 
That would prove to be more than enough offense for Langeloh, who set down five of the last six Cal Baptist batters she faced to lock down Chico State's 6-0 victory and vault the Wildcats in Championship Saturday against Humboldt State.
 
The two teams played each other pretty evenly during the regular season. The Lumberjacks beat the Wildcats three out of four March 15-16 in Chico, but two of the games went extra innings and the lone 'Cats victory was a lopsided 11-3 decision.