Some members of Chico State's 1999 NCAA Championship baseball team, which will be celebrated in a 10:40 a.m. celebration prior to tomorrow's series finale, were in attendance for Saturday's doubleheader at Nettleton Stadium. The current Wildcats treated those alumni with a pair of performances to be proud of. Alex Kent saved strong starts from Andrew Lopez and Daniel Foret and the Wildcats offense took early leads and then added on in wins of 12-3 and 8-3.
The Wildcats improved to 17-12 overall and 13-11 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association with the doubleheader sweep, rising into fifth in the CCAA standings. Cal State San Marcos, which features the conference's top-hitting offense but was limited to three earned runs Saturday, slipped to 15-22 overall and 11-20 in the CCAA.
Lopez set the tone, tossing six innings and allowing only three unearned runs in the opener. He surrendered seven hits and walked only one while improving to 3-1. Kent entered the contest with the bases loaded and two down in the eighth and got the CCAA's leading hitter entering the weekend, Cabot Van Til, to pop out to end the threat.
Tyler Stofiel, shown here pointing toward the dugout following his two-run
single in the eighth inning of the opener, went 4-for-7 during Saturday's
doubleheader and drove in three runs.
The Wildcats put the game away in the bottom half of the inning. Tyler Stofiel's two-out, two-run single was the big blow during a four-run frame.
Stofiel and Turner Olson each finished the game 2-for-4 with a run and three RBI. JT Navarro, Alex DeVito, and Michael Lagier also had two hits apiece.
Foret (3-1) kept the momentum in the Wildcats' dugout in the nightcap, posting four straight zeroes after allowing a run in the first. The Cougars were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position against the junior who was making just his second start of the season. Three of his four strikeouts came with runners in scoring position.
Kent one again entered the game with the bases full of Cougars, this time in the sixth. A walk and sacrifice fly made it a 4-3 game, but the Wildcats escaped the inning with the lead. Once again, the offense rewarded him in the bottom half of the frame. Navarro's one-out double seeded a four-run rally. Miller's two-out double plated a pair of big insurance runs, and Olson's RBI-double and Jorge Perez's RBI-single padded the lead.
Miller finished the nightcap 2-for-3 with three runs scored and a pair of RBI and is now hitting an even .400. He trails only Gave Chavez of Cal State San Bernardino (.408) and Van Til (.406) in the race for the conference batting title. Olson went 2-for-4 and Stofiel 2-for-3.
First pitch Sunday is scheduled for 11 a.m., but fans are implored to arrive early to take in the special pre-game celebration.
Chico State first baseman Dustin Miller feeds a throw to second baseman Tyler Grissom, covering first
following a bunt, to get the out. (Photo by Matthew Bates)
