The Chico State baseball team and Cal State San Bernardino moved up their Saturday doubleheader by an hour in order to ensure they could get the games in before expected rain fell and short-circuited play.
 
The precipitation never showed. But there was a deluge of two-out hits in the seventh inning that fell on both teams and caused the games to end sooner than they could have.
 
A nine-run outburst in the seventh—all with two outs—broke a tie and gave the Wildcats a 13-4 victory in the first game at Nettleton Stadium.
 
Then the Coyotes returned the favor in the second game with a four-run rally that started with none on and two outs of a scoreless contest that turned into a 4-0 final, leaving the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) teams a split of the twin bill.
 
That also left Chico State with a 12-9 record in the CCAA and 16-11 overall. Cal State San Bernardino is 8-11 in the CCAA and 8-17 overall.
 
The teams conclude the four-game series with an 11 a.m. game on Sunday at Nettleton Stadium. The game will be broadcast locally on AM-1290 KPAY. Links to video and audio streams, along with live stats, are available on the baseball schedule and in the calendar on the Wildcats Athletics homepage.
 
The series started Friday with a 14-inning contest that the Wildcats won 9-8 in a game that took 4 hours, 58 minutes to complete. Both of Saturday's games could have gone extra innings if not for the floodgates opening up on those surprising rallies.
 
Dustin Miller had the go-ahead single before Brian Pozos singled to center field for two runs and Tyler Stofiel's double to left field plated two more for a 9-4 advantage, as Chico State more than answered the Coyotes tying the game in the top half of the inning with two runs.

 

Cameron Santos singled in another run, and Louie Canjura knocked a two-run single to left-center, and Miller provided his second single of the inning for yet another run before the outburst dissipated. All told the Wildcats sent 15 batters to the plate in the inning with eight hits, three walks, and one hit by pitch as part of the barrage that began with Canjura walking with one out and Alex DeVito singling.
 
That made a winner out of reliever Anthony Baleto (1-0) after he came on in the top of the seventh to keep the Coyotes from doing more than tying the game. With a 13-4 lead, Baleto also took care of the eighth as part of his 1.1 innings. He struck out two and yielded one hit in his scoreless appearance.
 
Miller finished 3 of 5 with three RBIs and two runs scored while DeVito and Pozos had three hits apiece as part of a 17-hit attack. Pozos also had three RBIs as did Stofiel, who scored twice. Canjura scored three runs and drove in two while Santos, Canjura, and Ryan Busby had two hits each. Santos also stole his 12th base of the season, tying him for the CCAA lead with Stanislaus State's Braeden Oki.
 
The Wildcats first scratched runs across with a three-run second inning. Miller, Casey Henderson, and Pozos all singled with the latter driving in Miller. Stofiel drove in a run on a fielder's choice, and Busby singled up the middle to drive him in as well for a 3-1 advantage.
 
Another run came in the third on Canjura and DeVito singles before Hassey advanced them with a sacrifice and Miller provided an RBI groundout.
 
Starting pitcher Grant Larson likely deserved better than a no-decision as he pitched into the seventh inning, but six Wildcat errors boosted San Bernardino's efforts. Larson ended up with 6.2 innings while allowing four runs, one of them earned, on four hits and two walks. He struck out four.
 
Reliever Andrew Lopez retired San Bernardino in order in the ninth.
 
Konner Arnold made sure the Wildcats would settle for a split as the pitcher tossed a three-hit shutout in the Coyotes' victory in the second game. He allowed three hits, didn't walk anyone and struck out two while never allowing a Wildcat to reach third base of the seven-inning contest.
 
Kyle Blakeman was 2 of 2 with a stolen base while Busby chopped an infield single just beyond the pitcher's mound that was too high for Arnold to do anything with for the Wildcats' other hit in the contest.
 
But Arnold (4-1) never let a leadoff batter to get on base in any of the seven innings.
 
Hilario Tovar (2-4) matched Arnold zero for zero for 6.2 innings. He struck out eight batters and was an out away from sending the 'Cats to the bottom of the seventh with the game still scoreless.
 
But a Jason Nall double to right field sparked a four-run rally that included three singles, two walks, and two more Wildcats miscues.
 
After Sunday's series finale, Chico State has a four-game series against Cal State LA that begins with a 6 p.m. game Thursday in Southern California.