A fourth consecutive loss, 5-4 against Cal State East Bay in Sunday's opening game, had the Chico State baseball team searching for answers. The Wildcats found some in the form of a lanky left-hander and a new-look lineup. Grant Larson, a 6-foot-7 sophomore southpaw, spun a complete-game four-hitter in Chico State's 8-0 victory in the nightcap.
Larson struck out five and did not walk a batter in his first collegiate complete game. He pitched around four errors with the help of three double plays in improving to 3-1.
Chico State is now 14-9 overall and 10-7 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. Cal State East Bay is 9-12 overall and 6-9 in the CCAA. The series concludes with a single game Monday at noon.
Larson wasn't the only Wildcat with a good response in the nightcap. Louie Canjura got his fourth start at second base and went 3-for-3 with two runs and reached base all four times he stepped to the plate. Freshman Turner Olson got a rare start in left field and went 2-for-2 with three runs scored and a big two-run single. Brian Pozos got his first start of the season in the outfield and went 2-for-3 with two RBIs. All three also stole a base.
Louie Canjura went 3-for-3 in the nightcap.
RJ Hassey's game produced some bruises. He was hit by a pitch four times on the day, including three times in the second game. He is just the second Wildcat in the Dave Taylor era to take three doses in one game, joining Cody Foster, who was hit three times by Saint Martin's pitchers on Feb. 11, 2012.
Hassey has now been hit a CCAA-high 11 times this season and leads the conference with a .534 on-base percentage.
Olson continues to impress during his freshman campaign. Making just his sixth start, he drew a walk leading off the second, and after advancing to second on Myles Moran's sacrifice bunt, scored on Pozos' single to center field.
He came to the plate in the third with two on and two down. Canjura and Alex DeVito singled leading off the inning and moved up a bag on Hassey's sacrifice. Olson blooped a single to left to push Chico State's lead to 3-0. Olson came around to score when Moran reached on an error.
The Wildcats put up another crooked number in the fifth. Hassey was hit by a pitch leading off the inning and Olson singled Casey Henderson (who reached on a fielders' choice) to third. Moran drove in Henderson with a sacrifice fly, and after Olson stole second, Pozos brought him around with a base hit to left field. Pozos then stole second and scored on Dustin Miller's line single to center.
Canjura singled leading off the sixth and came around to score on Henderson's sacrifice fly.
The Wildcats dropped the opener after failing to put a crooked number on the board despite numerous opportunities.
Turner Olson went 2-for-2 with three runs, two RBI, and a stolen base
in the WIldcats' 8-0 win.
Cal State East Bay took the lead with a two-run first. Chico State pulled to within a run on four separate occasions, but could not get over the top. The Wildcats stranded the tying run in the second, fourth, fifth, seventh, eighth, and ninth.
DeVito went 3-for-4 and slammed his third home run of the season. Henderson went 3-for-4. Santos and Pozos had two hits apiece. With those two hits, Santos tied and then passed Ryan Wulfert to move into third on the program's career hits list. He now has 182. Jeff Walker (226) and Kevin Miller (196) are the only Wildcats with more.
Links for Monday's noon series finale:
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