Chico State's baseball players are playing with heavy hearts, missing their friend and teammate Andru Cardenas, who is hospitalized in Los Angeles fighting a sudden, serious illness. The Wildcats offense was not missing much else Saturday, and Cardenas must have gotten a kick out of following their doubleheader sweep of Cal State San Marcos as they piled up 29 hits, including eight doubles, two triples, and two home runs, en route to wins of 10–3 and 18–4.
 
All of the Wildcats wore batting practice tops with Cardenas' and name and number on them prior to the game. They said a prayer for him prior to first pitch. And then they gave him even more to smile about.
 
The Wildcats passed the halfway point of conference play at 19-1, having won five in a row since Cardenas fell ill. Ranked No. 1 in the nation by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, No. 3 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and Perfect Game USA, and No. 10 by D2 Baseball News entering this weekend's three-game series, Chico State improved to 26-5 overall.
 
Chico State scored six runs in the seventh inning to break open a tie game in the opener and rolled from there, scoring 25 runs and batting around three times in their final 10 trips to the plate.
 
Steven Baker (4-0) got the final out in the top of the seventh in the opener to earn the win. Starter Hunter Haworth went six innings, allowing two runs on four hits and striking out seven.
 
Casey Costello earned the win in the nightcap, improving to 7-0 in his first nine starts in a Chico State uniform. Costello surrendered two runs on seven hits in five innings while striking out five. Stuart Bradley, who pitched a scoreless inning in the first game, posted two more zeroes (the sixth and seventh), and Jae Wagner pitched a 1-2-3 eighth.
 
Five different Wildcats finished the day with four or more hits. Dillon Kelley and Jimbo Pernetti were both 5-for-8, Cody Snider and Cameron Santos were 4-for-8, and Casey Henderson went 4-for-9.
 
But the biggest hit of the day came off the bat of Jerrett Maas, who broke a 2–2 with a pinch-hit single up to middle to plate Snider with the go-ahead run in the opening game. Snider set the table by doubling to lead off the inning.
 
That opened the floodgates for Chico State. Dallas Porter, Santos, Kelley, and Pernetti all drove in runs later in the inning as the Wildcats took control of the game.
 
Kelley finished the game 3-for-3 with a double and two RBI. Snider was 2-for-3 and scored twice, and Pernetti was 2-for-3 with a run and RBI.
 
Chico State scored five runs in the second, two in the third, four in the fifth, and seven in the seventh to win the second game with ease.
 
The game's most memorable swing once again belonged to a pinch hitter. Trevor Steinman's first home run as a Wildcat was a grand slam during the seven-run seventh. Pernetti also homered on his way to a 3-for-5 night with three runs and three RBI. Henderson and Snider each tripled and drove in two runs apiece.
 
Leadoff man Sonny Cortez had just one hit on the day, but drew three walks and was hit twice, stole a base, and scored five runs. In doing so, he became just the 15^th Wildcat to reach 100 runs. And he did it in his first 98 games.
 
The series concludes with a single game Sunday at 11 a.m.