Sometimes you're the slammer. Sometimes you're the slammed. One day after riding a walk-off grand slam to a doubleheader sweep of Cal Poly Pomona, the Chico State baseball team was on the other end of the slam on Sunday. The Broncos rallied for six runs in the eighth, capped by Daniel Pitts' grand slam, snapping Chico State's 14-game win streak with an 8–7 win at Nettleton Stadium.
Chico State, ranked No. 13 in the nation heading into the weekend series, slipped to 21–5 overall and 14-1 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. Cal Poly Pomona, ranked No. 6 in the preseason, improved to 14–12 and 10-5.
Chico State's program-record 14-game home win streak went by the wayside as well. The Wildcats came up six wins shy of their record for longest win streak, two shy of their record for consecutive conference wins, and six shy of their longest ever win streak.
Sunday marked just the third time this season that the Wildcats allowed their opponent to score first. It was the first time this season that an opponent scored more than six runs.
Chico State was in the drivers' seat after a six-run third inning gave the Wildcats a 6–1 lead.
Tyler Stofiel led off the inning with an infield single. Four straight walks and a wild pitch followed. A two-run single off the bat of Dillon Kelley and Jimbo Pernetti's RBI-double followed.
Wildcats' starter Cam Greenough allowed just one run on two hits in
six innings of work, lowering his ERA to 1.89 in seven starts.
The Wildcats failed to pad their cushion, however. Cal Poly Pomona, which grabbed a 1–0 lead in the second inning on a Pitts home run, cut the deficit to 6–2 in the seventh.
The score was 6–4 when Pitts came to the plate in the eighth. Anthony Baleto, Chico State's third pitcher of the inning, entered to face him. Pitts won this battle, belting a grand slam over the left-field wall for an 8–6 lead.
Pernetti knocked in another run in the bottom-half of the inning with a two-out single. But Cody Snider flew out to end the inning with the tying run on second, and the Wildcats were retired in order in the ninth.
Pernetti accounted for two of the Wildcats' six hits, driving in two runs. Kelley extending his hitting streak to nine games, while Josh Falco has now hit safely in eight straight and reached base safely in 16 in a row.
Chico State starter Cam Greenough pitched six solid innings, allowing just one run on two hits. Stuart Bradley (3-1) took the loss.
Chico State is back in action next weekend at Cal State Dominguez Hills. The three-game series is scheduled to begin with a noon doubleheader on Saturday, and conclude with a single game Sunday at 11 a.m. If the Wildcats can win their fifth straight series, Head Coach Dave Taylor will reach 500 career head coaching wins next weekend. He currently has 498 career victories.
Longest home winning streak in Chico State baseball history
14 – 2016-17 (includes last 2 games of 2016)
13 – 2004
13 – 2002
12 – 2008
Longest winning streaks in Chico State baseball history
20 – 2002
17 – 1999-2000 (includes last 7 games of 1999)
16 – 1987
15 – 2013
15 – 1997
14 – 2006
14 – 2017
Longest home winning streak to start the season in Chico State baseball history
13 – 2002
12 – 2017
Consecutive conference wins in Chico State history
16 – 1987
15 – 2013
14 – 2017
Jimbo Pernetti went 2-for-4 with a double and drove in a pair of runs Sunday.
(All photos by Skip Reager)
