Baseball stadiums are built for days like Saturday. A crowd of 626 gathered for a community celebration of the life of Chico philanthropist Steve Nettleton on a warm, sun-soaked day at Nettleton Stadium; and to root on their hometown Wildcats, who won a pair in thrilling fashion, knocking off rival Sonoma State by scores of 7-3 and 8-7.
 
Chico State President Gayle Hutchinson and designees from Enloe Hospital and the Boys and Girls Club—two more institutions that have benefitted greatly from the Nettletons' genorosity—spoke during a pre-game ceremony of their tremendous impact on the community through their time and philanthropic endeavors.
 
When game time rolled around, the Wildcats treated the largest crowd of the season to a pair of victories; the kind of wins that postseason berths are built on.
 
The Wildcats scored six runs with two out in the eighth to recover from a 3-1 deficit and win the opener. They walked off with a doubleheader sweep in the nightcap when Griffin Hennessey hammered a two-out single to left, plating the winning run in the bottom of the seventh.
 
Now 24-18 overall and 20-17 in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play, Chico State is 1.5 games behind San Francisco State, 1.5 games ahead of Cal Poly Pomona, two games ahead of Cal State East Bay, 2.5 games ahead of Sonoma State, and 3.5 games ahead of Cal State San Marcos in a wild six-team race for the final three CCAA Tournament berths.
 
The Wildcats need at least two wins in their final five games—Sunday's noon series finale against Sonoma State, a doubleheader at San Francisco State Friday, and a doubleheader at Stanislaus State Saturday—to lock up their spot.

 
At times Saturday, those postseason prospects didn't appear so rosy. Chico State trailed 3-1 with two down and no one on in the eighth inning of the opener before an error opened the door. The Wildcats ran through it.
 
With Alex DeVito on first, pinch-hitter Cody Wissler singled to right. That began a stretch of six consecutive Wildcats who reached base. Myles Moran singled to left to close the gap to 3-2. Eddie Zavala ripped a single to center to plate the tying run. Pinch hitter Kristian Scott ripped a single through the right side for what proved to be the game-winning run. Hennessey was hit by a pitch to load the bases. JT Navarro grounded a two-run single through the left side. And Kyle Pineda drilled an RBI-single through the right side for a 7-3 lead.
 
Alex Kent came on to pitch a scoreless ninth to end it, making a winner out of Connor Sealey (2-0).
 
Wildcats starter Andrew Lopez labored through a 32-pitch first inning before piling up five straight scoreless frames. He was pulled following a one-out walk in the seventh and Sealey surrendered a two-run hit after a walk and hit by pitch loaded the bases. Sealey's scoreless eighth kept the Wildcats within striking distance. Strike they did.
 
Navarro and Moran drove in two runs apiece. Navarro is now 3-for-4 with the bases loaded this season and Moran is 9-for-21 with nine RBIs in his last seven starts. Pineda and DeVito delivered two hits apiece.
 
A sweep appeared to be a strong possibility after the Wildcats grabbed a 4-1 lead in the nightcap. Dustin Miller and Zavala drove in runs in the first inning. In the third, Pineda scored on a wild pitch and Scott scorched an RBI-single to right.
 
With their playoff hopes hanging by a thread, the Seawolves came off the deck with a run in the fourth and four more in the fifth to surge ahead 6-4.
 
The Wildcats rallied in the sixth. Zavala drew a leadoff walk and Scott singled to set the table. Wissler followed with a pinch-hit missile that one-hopped the wall at the 405 mark in center field, plated two runs, and knotted the score at 6.
 
The pinch hit was Wissler's sixth of the season (in 10 at-bats), tying for the second most in Chico State single-season history and one behind Ryan Watson's school record.

 
Wissler advanced to third on Hennessey's sacrifice bunt, and with two down, scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch.
 
The Seawolves put a rally of their own together in the top of the seventh, loading the bases with one out. James Harwell then hammered a ball to the warning track in right-center field that appeared destined to give the Seawolves the lead. But instead of going halfway, the baserunners retreated to their bases to tag up. That proved costly when center fielder Brandon Hernandez quickly retrieved the ball and threw a strike to the cut-off man Hennessey, who wheeled and delivered a perfect throw home to Moran, who tagged out the second runner attempting to score, preserving the tie.
 
The game was not tied for long. DeVito led off the bottom of the seventh with a single. Pinch runner Tyler Grissom was on first with two down when Wissler once again came through with a clutch hit to advance him to second. With one strike, Hennessey hit a rocket between the left fielder and left-field line and Grissom raced home to score the winning run, setting off a wild celebration between first and second base.  
 
Alex Kent, who pitched the seventh inning, was credited with the win, improving to 3-5.
 
Wissler, Scott, Pineda, and Navarro finished with two hits apiece, and Chico State's defense played its third straight error-free game.
 
For the fans who came to pay tribute to Steve Nettleton, the walkoff was a fitting end to a fabulous day of baseball. His wife of more than 50 years, Kathy, talked about how much Steve would have loved the event, seeing great baseball, friends, fans, and families enjoying the game that meant so much to him.
 
"I'm sure he's loving it up there," she said.
 
His favorite moment may have taken place before the game even started. The Nettletons' grand-nephew, Joseph Hejl threw out the first pitch, and it was an absolute heater delivered for a strike to Wildcats' catcher Trenton Stowe. Afterward, the pair shared an ecstatic high-five before Stowe presented the youngster with the ball.
 
The Nettletons paid for the stadium—one of the finest in all of college baseball—to be built before donating it to the University, which re-named it Nettleton Stadium upon its grand re-opening in 1997. He also brought professional baseball to Chico while helping Chico State's program attract the talent to become one of the most consistently successful teams in the nation.
 
Now two steps closer to their 22^nd postseason berth since 1996, it is clear that the Nettletons' gift keeps on giving to the Wildcats and to Chico's baseball-loving community.