Five unearned runs proved to be too much to overcome as the Chico State baseball team opened a four-game series against Cal State Dominguez Hills with a 6-5 loss at Nettleton Stadium Friday night.
The Wildcats led 3-0 before allowing an unearned run in the fourth and four more in the fifth. They bounced back to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth but did not score again.
Cal State Dominguez Hills got a leadoff double in the ninth and a one-out double to take the lead, and then worked around a one-out single in the bottom of the inning to close it out.
Chico State slipped to 24-17 overall and 20-15 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, while Cal State Dominguez Hills improved to 13-26 overall and 10-23 in the CCAA.
The series continues with a doubleheader Saturday at noon and concludes with a single game Sunday at 11 a.m. Saturday is Little League Day a Nettleton Stadium. Senior Day festivities will take place prior to Sunday's finale, beginning at 10:35 a.m.
Kyle Blakeman led off the first with a single to spark a two-run rally. Cameron Santos and Alex DeVito drove in the two runs.
The lead grew to 3-0 in the third when DeVito led off with a walk, moved to second on Turner Olson's single, and then scored on an error.
Chico State returned the favor in the third, allowing a run with the help of a passed ball. And then the Wildcats defense committed two miscues in the fourth leading to four more Toros runs.
The Wildcats bounced back quickly to tie the game. Tyler Stofiel led off the inning with a walk and Olson's base hit put runners on the corners. Stofiel scored on a wild pitch and Olson scored the tying run on RJ Hassey's two-out single to center.
But Chico State could not muster another hit until the ninth.
In the meantime, Wildcats starter Grant Larson was pulled after five with a high pitch count thanks in part to Chico State's defensive struggles. Anthony Baleto came on in relief and put zeroes on the board in the sixth, seventh, and eighth.
Esteban Ortega doubled leading off the ninth, and with one out and Ortega on third, Jae Wagner was called upon to try to get the Wildcats out of the tough situation. Instead, pinch hitter John Gonzalez ripped a double to center, just the second extra-base hit allowed by Wagner this season. That proved to be the game-winning run.
DeVito and Olson had two hits apiece for the Wildcats. Blakeman and Louie Canjura each logged a hit to stretch their hitting streaks to 11 and eight games, respectively.
