AZUSA—Head Coach Dave Taylor seemingly had the past and future of Chico State baseball on each side of him on Thursday night. Sitting next to Taylor in the postgame press conference were decorated senior Cameron Santos—the only three-time captain in program history who has put his name all over the team's record book—and Turner Olson, a true freshman who emerged as a trusted part of the lineup while seizing the left-field job.
 
The Wildcats, though, are focused on the present, mainly extending it for as long as they can.
 
Chico State fell 10-7 to top-seeded Cal State Monterey Bay as the Otters' three home runs did more damage than their five errors on Thursday night in the NCAA Championship Tournament's West Regional at the Cougar Baseball Complex, home to Azusa Pacific.
 
That sends the sixth-seeded Wildcats to an elimination game against the host Cougars after they fell 7-4 in 15 innings to California Baptist in a game that forced Chico State's contest to begin a little more than two hours after its scheduled start time of 3 p.m. on Thursday
 
The Wildcats (31-23) and second-seeded Azusa Pacific (39-10) won't have to worry about a late start. They open Friday's action with an 11 a.m. first pitch. 
 
The game will be broadcast locally on AM-1290 KPAY. Links to live stats, audio, and video can be found on the baseball team's schedule page and in the calendar section of the homepage for Wildcats Athletics.
 
Kyle Blakeman, Santos, and Olson had two hits apiece, accounting for six of the Wildcats' 11. 
 
Thursday's game had plenty of action early on as the Otters (39-16) scored one run on a passed ball and loaded the bases before Chico State could record an out. T.J. Dove singled and Kyle Czaplak blooped another to shallow center before Tano Garza walked. Dove flew home on the passed ball, and Czaplak scored on a Jacob Tonascia sacrifice fly to center.

Chico State starting pitcher Casey Costello curtailed the damage, getting a groundout to second and another fly to center.

 
The Wildcats would take their only lead of the night with a three-run second inning. RJ Hassey reached on an error, and Casey Henderson's swinging bunt stopped short of the second baseman but only after it went beyond the pitcher. Tyler Stofiel put down a sacrifice bunt that was promptly thrown past first base, allowing Hassey to score while Henderson went to third and Stofiel scooted into second. Olson then chopped a single through the right side, tying the game at 2. Dustin Miller provided the go-ahead run by putting down a bunt on a safety squeeze.
 
The advantage didn't last long.
 
Myles Hager reached for a home run to left field after a one-out single from Max Sanderson, as the Otters went back in front 4-2.
 
Chico State would tie it at 4 on Stofiel's single up the middle that plated Alex DeVito after he walked to start the rally. But Monterey Bay answered again in the home half of the third inning, this time on Reed Oster's run-scoring single for a 5-4 advantage.
 
And again, the Wildcats would tie it, much of it on the hustle of Louie Canjura. He first outraced the pitcher to the bag trying to cover on a grounder to first base. He then stole second base. A Santos single got him to third before Canjura scored on a fielder's choice off the bat of DeVito.
 
Monterey Bay kept at it as well in its half of the fourth. A hit by pitch had Dove on base when Czaplak sent a home run to left-center as the Otters went up 7-5.
 
Through four innings, the only time a team didn't score was the top of the first.

 

"We really made an emphasis on adjusting with our pitch recognition and strike-zone recognition," Santos said, "but timely hitting, I think, cost us. I think we left a few guys on that could have been a difference maker."
 
Chico State finished with 10 runners left on base.
 
Costello (6-3) went 4.2 innings in what could be the final start of a tremendous two-year stint with the Wildcats. Costello was the conference and West Region Pitcher of the Year in 2017 when he went 12-0 in 16 starts. He helped Chico State reach the West Regional again this year by throwing eight innings in a 4-3 victory over Cal Poly Pomona in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Tournament last week in Stockton. He didn't allow a hit over the final seven innings in what almost seemed like a play-in game as the Wildcats were ranked sixth in the regional rankings while Pomona was eighth.
 
"That was our goal in the beginning of the year was to win a West Region. We've been battling for it all year, and we've really had some ups and downs," Olson said, "and hopefully we keep going."
 
After a scoreless fifth, the Wildcats and Otters renewed their attack on each other and the scoreboard. Blakeman raced home as Monterey Bay's attempt at turning a double play ended with an errant throw to first. That had the Wildcats within 7-6.
 
Four straight singles started Monterey Bay's half of the sixth while scoring one run and loading the bases. Reliever Andrew Schantz induced a grounder to shortstop as Henderson started a 6-4-3 double play while a second run scored but that was all the Otters could manage despite the chance at a much bigger inning.
 
Reliever Andrew Lopez kept the margin at 9-6 with a scoreless seventh, one of two innings he threw. The Wildcats then trimmed the margin in the eighth. A DeVito groundout plated Brian Pozos after he reached base by singling on an 0-2 pitch.
 
A Hayden Duer home run in the eighth made for the final margin, and the Wildcats couldn't manage to tie the score yet again on Thursday.

 

Otters starting pitcher Colton Fletcher (10-1) went seven innings. He allowed six runs, three of them earned, on 10 hits and three walks while striking out four. A former Wildcat, Fletcher pitched in 15 games for Chico State in 2016. 
 
Cal State Monterey Bay takes on Point Loma at 3 p.m. on Friday. UC San Diego, a 22-3 winner over Point Loma in what became the very late game on Thursday night, takes on Cal Baptist at 7 p.m. on Friday.
 
By then, the Wildcats will know if their stay goes beyond a second game in the double-elimination event. Either way, the players like Olson who are getting their first taste of the Wildcats' third straight season of reaching the West Region are soaking it in and learning what they can in hopes of putting it to good use for both this year and those that follow.
 
"The coaching staff, the players who have been here before," said Olson—an All-CCAA honorable mention in his debut season—"have really made it special." 
 
GAME NOTES—Santos' pair of hits included a double, the 35th of his Wildcat career. That broke a tie with Luis Sanchez (1998-99) and forged another one with Josh Meagher (2008-09) for seventh on the all-time list in program history. Another double will do the same with Ryan Wulfert (2001-04). Santos is already first in career triples with 15, four more than Thom Eccleston (1984-85). The two hits leave him with 218, as he only has the 226 of Jeff Walker (2002-05) ahead of him. Santos is already first in walks with 93. … Azusa Pacific's 15-inning marathon loss to Cal Baptist lasted 4 hours and 47 minutes, pushing Thursday's schedule far behind. But it could have been longer. Chico State and Monterey Bay played 15 innings on March 9 in the longest game in Wildcat history. The 12-11 setback lasted 4:58. … Azusa Pacific used five pitchers on Thursday with the first four all going at least 2.2 innings. Only Hayden Jorgenson, the fifth pitcher of the day, went less as he accounted for the final out in the three-run Lancers outburst in the 15th. Cougars reliever Spiro Valasakos lasted the longest at 5.2 innings as he didn't allow a run, hit or walk. He hit two batters with pitches. Most likely, the Wildcats won't see him on Friday. Costello started Chico State's 15-inning affair against the Otters. Schantz also threw in that game, one of five Wildcats to take the mound that day. The other three—Christian Stiegele, Anthony Baleto, and Jae Wagner—didn't pitch on Thursday. They'll be among the options Taylor has against the Cougars.
        
2018 NCAA Championship Tournament | West Region
Cougar Baseball Complex | Azusa
Double-elimination
Thursday, May 17
Game 2: No. 5 California Baptist 7, No. 2 Azusa Pacific 4 (15 innings)
Game 1: No. 1 Cal State Monterey Bay 10, No. 6 Chico State 7
Game 3: No. 3 UC San Diego 22, No. 4 Point Loma 2

Friday, May 18
Game 4: Chico State vs. Azusa Pacific (elimination game), 11 a.m.
Game 5: Cal State Monterey Bay vs. Point Loma (possible elimination), 3 p.m.
Game 6: California Baptist vs. UC San Diego, 7 p.m.

Saturday, May 19
Game 7: Teams TBD, 11 a.m.
Game 8: Teams TBD, 3 p.m.
Game 9: Teams TBD, 7 p.m.

Monday, May 21
Game 10: Teams TBD, noon
Game 11: Teams TBD, if necessary