The little ones who made their way to Nettleton Stadium for District 47 Little League Day Saturday got a great lesson in the finer points of the game from the Chico State baseball team. The Wildcats were excellent in every facet of the game while sweeping a doubleheader from Cal State Dominguez Hills, taking the first game 13-0 and the second 7-0.
 
Five Chico State pitchers combined to put 16 straight zeroes on the board, allowing only 11 hits and striking out 22. Chico State's defense committed only one error on the day. And the Wildcats' offense pounded out 32 hits on the afternoon.
 
Winners of 10 of their last 13, the Wildcats improved to 26-17 overall and 22-15 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association while taking a big step closer to clinching a berth in the six-team CCAA Tournament. They are now three games ahead of Sonoma State and San Francisco State, currently tied for the sixth. The Wildcats enter Sunday's series finale in third place in the CCAA standings four games behind conference leader Cal State Monterey Bay, and two back of second-place UC San Diego.

 
Cal State Dominguez Hills dropped to 13-28 overall and 10-25 in the CCAA.
 
Chico State starting pitcher Hilario Tovar set the tone in Saturday's first game, firing seven shutout innings. Tovar (6-4), who has won each of his last four starts, surrendered just four hits while striking out seven. William Curless and Kenton Carruthers kept the Toros of the scoreboard in the eighth and ninth, respectively.
 
Game two starter Casey Costello kept the momentum in Chico State's dugout, throwing five shutout innings. Costello (5-2) scattered six hits while striking out nine. He is now 17-2 in his career matching Phil Derryman (1999-00) for the highest career winning percentage in Chico State baseball history (.895) among pitchers with at least 18 decisions.
 
Dan Beavers retired the Toros in order over the final two frames, four via strikeout.
 
Offensively, the Wildcats racked up 21 hits in the opener and put together four-run rallies in the fourth and fifth to take control of the game. Alex DeVito banged out four hits in the game, while Kyle Blakeman, Cameron Santos, and RJ Hassey had three apiece. Santos drove in four runs and DeVito three. Blakeman and Louie Canjura each scored three times.

 

The Wildcats led 2-0 heading into the fourth before a trio of doubles sparked a four-run rally. Hassey started things with a double down the right-field line and Casey Henderson traded places with him to drive in the first run of the frame with a double to left. Blakeman laid down a bunt single ahead of Canjura, who doubled to plate Henderson. Santos and DeVito drove in runs later in the inning, stretching the advantage to 6-0.
 
Chico State broke the game open with four more runs in the fifth. Turner Olson and Hassey singled consecutively to start the rally. Blakeman drove in the first run of the inning with a single to center before Hassey came around to score on a balk. Canjura and Santos cashed in runs with RBI singles to make it 10-0.
 
The Wildcats jumped on the Toros early in the second game as well. They took the lead on Ryan Busby's two-run single in the second.
 
DeVito drove in their third run of the game with a third-inning single.  
Freshmen Olson and Busby got the Wildcats going in the fourth. Olson led off with a double and Busby reached on an infield hit. Henderson's suicide squeeze bunt was a good one and the wild attempt to throw him out rolled down the right field line allowing Busby to score all the way from first for a 5-0 lead.
 
Olson went 3-for-3 and Busby 2-for-3 to lead the offense in the nightcap. Blakeman's sixth-inning single stretched his hitting streak to 13 games. Canjura's single that followed extended his hitting streak to 10.
 
Following the game, the Wildcats retired to the picnic area down the first-base line and signed autographs and chatted with the little leaguers.
 
Fans should arrive early for tomorrow's game. Chico State's 12 seniors will be honored in a ceremony scheduled to begin at 10:35 a.m.