As it has already demonstrated this season, the Chico State softball team can win ball games in a variety of ways. The No. 6 Wildcats did just that Saturday in their series-ending doubleheader against Stanislaus State, shutting down the Warriors 5-0 in the opener, then in the nightcap coming from behind with two runs in the bottom of seventh inning to pull out a 4-3 victory at University Softball Field, sweeping the twin bill and taking the set three games to one.
The two wins improved Chico State's season record to 15-2 as the Wildcats kept pace with front-running Humboldt State in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) race. The 'Cats sit in second place with a 10-2 conference mark.
Stanislaus State dropped to 11-11 overall and 7-9 in CCAA play with Saturday's doubleheader losses.
Chico State once again generated plenty of offense, racking up a total of 20 hits in Saturday's doubleheader. Ari Marsh collected five safeties, with Kristen Worley adding four knocks to extend her team-high hitting streak to 10 games. Rachel DeHart had three hits and three runs batted in, while Mya Reynolds and Claire Wayne also contributed three hits.
Game one of the double dip saw another outstanding pitching performance by Wildcat right-hander Haley Gilham. The junior scattered four hits and struck out five in tossing her CCAA-leading fourth shutout of the season.
Gilham was matched zero for zero by Stanislaus State's Anyssa Garvin for the first three innings, but in the bottom of the fourth the Wildcats broke through when DeHart delivered a two-out, two-run single to plate Wayne and Olivia Dallara. In the fifth Chico State went up 3-0 as Marsh scored from third when Warriors shortstop Alexus Martinez mishandled a grounder off the bat of Megan Bowley.
The 'Cats tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth inning when Marsh ripped a single up to middle to chase home DeHart and Reynolds. Gilham got out of a first-and-third, one out situation in the bottom of the seventh to keep her shutout intact and lock down Chico State's 5-0 victory.
Gilham improved to 8-1 on the season, and with 41 career victories moves into sole possession of fourth place on Chico State's all-time wins list.
The Wildcats struck first in game two of Saturday's doubleheader, with Wayne's two-out RBI double in the bottom of the first inning staking freshman left-hander Samantha Mulock to an early 1-0 lead. Stanislaus jumped out in front with a pair of runs in the top of the third inning, but Chico State pulled even in the bottom of the fourth when Reynolds led off the frame with a double and scored on a DeHart single to right.
The Warriors answered in the top of the fifth, as an RBI single by Nicolette Vizcaino put Stanislaus State on top 3-2. It stayed that way until the bottom of the seventh inning, when Chico State generated what would turn out to be the game's winning rally.
Thanks to a Marsh single and a pair of Warriors errors, the Wildcats quickly loaded the bases with nobody out. Bowley drove home Sarah Galaviz with a single through the left side to tie the score, then Claire Wayne ended it with a base hit just inside the third base bag to plate Marsh, giving the 'Cats the come-from-behind 4-3 victory and the doubleheader sweep.
Mulock earned the win by allowing just one earned run in notching her second complete game of the series, raising her season record to 5-1.
The Wildcats are back in action this Tuesday and Wednesday, heading to the Bay Area to take on San Francisco State. The four-game set is a make-up of the series that was rained out back on February 17-18. A doubleheader kicks off the series Tuesday at 12 noon, with a second twin bill scheduled Wednesday at noon.
