Right when it seemed like all hopes for a comeback had been harpooned by Cal State LA's tack-on, three-run homer, the Chico State baseball team rallied to win Sunday's opening game of a doubleheader at Nettleton Stadium. The Wildcats scored four times in the ninth, completing the comeback on Eddie Zavala's two-out RBI-single, and then walking off with a 7-6 win on Jorge Perez's two-out single in the 11th. So, when the Wildcats rallied again after falling behind 6-0 early in the nightcap, hope sprung eternal. But this time, Cal State LA got out of the jam—make that two jams—and held on for a 6-3 win.
 
The doubleheader split—the only two games of the series that will be played after rain washed out both Friday and Saturday's action—ended two long winning streaks. Chico State's win in the opener was its 10^th straight and snapped the Golden Eagles' seven-game streak.
 
Chico State is now 14-8 overall and 10-7 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. Cal State LA is 12-13 overall and 11-10 in the CCAA.
 
Tyler Odekirk's three-run homer in the eighth inning of the opening game gave the Golden Eagles a 6-2 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth. But Chico State's bench seeded a rally that tied the game.

 
Pinch hitter Cody Wissler led off the bottom of the ninth with a base hit, TJ Navarro drew a walk, and pinch hitter Kristian Scott singled to load the bases with nobody out. Dustin Miller, representing the tying run, singled up the middle to cut the lead in half. Griffin Hennessey bunted Miller into scoring position and Scott to third. Scott scored on Turner Olson's groundout, bringing Zavala to the plate with two down and the potential tying run at third.
 
Zavala ripped a line single into right field to tie the game.
 
After threatening to walk off in the 10^th, the Wildcats did it in the 11^th. Hennessey singled leading off the inning, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, and with two down, Perez punched a single over the second baseman to win the game.
 
Navarro, Perez, Zavala, and Wissler finished with two hits apiece for the Wildcats. Connor Sealey (1-0) earned his first win as a Wildcat with a 1-2-3 top of the 11^th.
 
Chico State fell behind much earlier in the nightcap. Starter William Curless (2-1) struggled with his command and surrendered a second-inning grand slam that helped the Golden Eagles build a 6-0 lead.
 
The Wildcats offense began to show signs of life in the third with a pair of runs, and then loaded the bases with no one out in the seventh. Navarro's infield hit made it 6-3 but the promising rally wilted with a short fly out sandwiched by a pair of strikeouts.
 
Chico State loaded the bases once again in the ninth, this time with one out. They cut the lead to 6-4 when Alex DeVito was drilled by a pitch, but a pop out and groundout ended the threat, and the game.
 

Three Wildcats relievers kept them in the game. Dalton Smith sailed through an inning and a third of no-hit relief. Grant Larson allowed just a hit and a walk in five frames. And Alex Kent retired the Golden Eagles in order in the ninth.
 
Chico State slipped into fifth in the CCAA standings Sunday and will head back on the road next weekend for a huge four-game series at 7^th-ranked UC San Diego. The Tritons are 17-4 and a half-game out of first place.
 
The series is scheduled to begin with a single game Friday at 6 p.m., following by a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday and a single game Sunday at noon. All four games will be broadcast live on AM-1290 and FM-102.9 KPAY.
 
After that, Chico State will play 12 of its last 16 regular-season games at home.