Saturday was a beautiful day for a ball game. The Chico State baseball team did not enjoy it as much as it would have liked.
 
The ninth-ranked Wildcats played under sunny skies as an early February day at Nettleton Stadium felt more like spring as temperatures reached the upper 70s, but the Fresno Pacific Sunbirds left Chico with a spring in their step thanks to a 6–3 victory.
 
The Wildcats had a chance to sweep the three-game series after taking both ends of Friday's doubleheader, but a four-run sixth inning that began with an error on a comebacker spoiled any chance of that.
 
The defeat ended Chico State's home winning streak at 15 games. The Wildcats had won 30 of 31 at Nettleton Stadium, including a 25-1 mark in 2017.

 

It was only the seventh setback in 85 games at home against non-conference foes in the regular season during head coach Dave Taylor's tenure.
 
Dustin Miller was 3 of 4 with an RBI from the leadoff spot for Chico State, which dropped to 2-1 on the season.
 
Cameron Santos had one hit to break a tie with Jordan Larson (2009-10) for eighth on the program's all-time top-10 list for hits. Larson had 160.
 
The Wildcats totaled six hits on the day but still had a 2-1 lead through five innings due to two productive at-bats from Trevor Steinman and an outstanding start from Hilario Tovar.
 
The senior pitcher struck out eight batters while surrendering just one run on three hits. He didn't walk a batter. His lone blemish came on a solo home run from Tristen Alvarez in the third inning, tying the game at 1.
 
Steinman had provided the lead in the second inning. Kyle Blakeman led off by reaching on an error and stole second base with two outs. Steinman then singled to right, scoring Blakeman.
 
Steinman again gave Chico State a lead, this time in the fourth inning, with a safety squeeze. Casey Henderson walked with one out before Alex Pallios provided a hit-and-run single through the vacated hole at shortstop. Henderson, going on the pitch, reached third. Steinman then put down the sacrifice bunt to score Henderson.
 
Tovar turned in a 1-2-3 fifth inning, striking out his final two batters.
 
The bullpen couldn't hold the lead for long, though. Reliever William Curless' throw on a comebacker to start the sixth was low, allowing Michael Warkentin reach base. Eddie Sievers walked, and Braden Frankfort singled in Warkentin to tie the game. Ross Dodds' double to left field plated two more runs. Matt McGrady's RBI single capped the outburst for a 5-2 advantage for Fresno Pacific.
 
Jae Wagner kept Chico State close with two scoreless innings of relief. He struck out two and allowed one hit.
 
The Wildcats had the bases full in the eighth inning with a walk and two hit by pitches. But Dodds, the Sunbirds' third baseman, snared Henderson's bid for a hit and tagged the bag to end the threat.
 
Dodds was 2 of 4 with two RBIs while Sievers and Alvarez each had two hits. A Sievers single up the middle scored Alvarez in the ninth inning.
 
Chico State scored once in the ninth. Pallios walked, as did Trenton Stowe, before Miller managed his third hit of the day, plating Pallios.
 
Sunbirds reliever Jonathan Molina threw four innings of one-run ball for the win. Alex Garcia started and went four innings as well, allowing two runs, one of them earned. Angel Flores took care of the ninth after Molina walked Pallios to start the inning.
 
Curless took the loss.
 
The Wildcats' next games are also at Nettleton Stadium. They'll host a three-game series against Northwest Nazarene Feb. 9-10. Friday's twinbill begins at 1 p.m., while Saturday's game is set for a noon start.
Saturday was a beautiful day for a ball game. The Chico State baseball team did not enjoy it as much as it would have liked.