After appearing to be suffering from a severe case of the Mondays, the Chico State baseball team turned the day's doubleheader into a party, completing a four-game sweep of San Francisco State on Monday afternoon at Nettleton Stadium.
 
The 24th-ranked Wildcats rallied from a 4-0 deficit to win the opener 7-5 and then rolled to a 10-0 win in the nightcap, improving to 12-4 overall and 8-2 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). They now hold a two-game lead atop the conference standings over Cal State San Bernardino, Cal State Monterey Bay, Cal Poly Pomona, and UC San Diego.
 
Alex DeVito went 4-for-5 with a home run and three RBI while reaching base six times in seven plate appearances to pace the Chico State offense. Tyler Stofiel homered and tripled in his only two at-bats in the nightcap. Louie Canjura went 2-for-2 with three RBI after coming off the bench in each game. William Curless, Christian Stiegele, and Kenton Carruthers combined for the shutout in the second game.
 
But before most of that, Chico State committed three errors, failed to get a bunt down, and had a runner thrown out trying to advance on a pitch in the dirt with two down, two on, and their hottest hitter at the plate—all in the first three innings of the opener.

 

Starting pitcher Grant Larson, who allowed just two earned runs in six innings, kept them in the game. The southpaw struck out six.
 
DeVito's RBI single cut Chico State's deficit to 4-1 in the sixth. The Wildcats climbed all the way out of the hole they had dug for themselves with six more runs in the eighth.
 
Kyle Blakeman and Cameron Santos started the rally with consecutive singles ahead of DeVito, who walked to load the bases. RJ Hassey drove in a run and Santos scored on a wild pitch to cut the deficit to one before Canjura's RBI-grounder tie the game at 4. Alex Pallios singled through the right side to give Chico State its first lead. Trenton Stowe's pinch-hit sacrifice fly and Dustin Miller's infield single drove in the inning's final two runs.
 
Reliever Anthony Baleto entered with the bases loaded in the ninth, and after one run scored on a passed ball, got the final out for his third save of the season.
 
Andrew Schantz earned the win in relief, spinning two no-hit innings, improving to 2-1.
 
DeVito went 3-for-3 with a run and RBI.
 
The momentum carried over into the second game as Chico State scored at least once in every inning.
 
Curless was the beneficiary, improving to 2-1. He certainly appreciated the run support but didn't necessarily need it. In just his second start, Curless carved up the Gators, allowing just three hits in five frames, while striking out five.
 
Stiegele and Carruthers posted an inning of scoreless relief apiece to preserve the Wildcats' second shutout of the season.
 

DeVito deposited his second home run of the season over the left-field wall—a two-run shot—to stake Chico State to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. In doing so, he stretched his hitting streak to eight games. The Wildcats got three more runs in the second, and the rout was on.
 
Casey Henderson singled leading off the second and came around to score on Stofiel's lined triple to center field. Miller's infield hit plated Stofiel, and after Kyle Blakeman moved Miller over with a single, the Wildcats' leadoff hitter scored on a wild pitch.
 
DeVito walked leading off the third, eventually scoring on Henderson's sacrifice fly to make it 6-0.
 
Stofiel smashed a shot off the foul pole in left leading off the fourth for his first collegiate home run, Canjura hit a pinch-hit sacrifice fly in the fifth and an RBI single up the middle in the sixth. Henderson scored the game's final run on a wild pitch.
 
Chico State has now won six straight this season and 13 in a row at home against San Francisco State.
 
The Gators fell to 3-14 overall and 3-9 in the CCAA.
 
The Wildcats are back in action next weekend when they hit the road for a four-game series at Cal State Monterey Bay. The series begins with a single game at 2 p.m. on Friday.