To say it was a good day at the office is certainly putting it mildly. The Chico State softball team was firing on all cylinders Saturday in its series-concluding doubleheader against Cal State East Bay, combining productive hitting, several sparkling defensive plays, and impenetrable pitching—Brook Larsen posting her second straight no-hitter in game one—to sweep the four-game set and run the Wildcats' winning streak to seven straight with a pair of 10-0 victories over the visiting Pioneers at University Softball Field.
Chico State, ranked No. 5 in the nation, improved to 16-1 on the season with the two Saturday wins, and stay atop the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) standings with an 11-1 conference record. Cal State East Bay slipped to 7-16 overall and 5-11 in CCAA play.
Chico State's offense—now ranked No. 1 in the CCAA with a .331 team batting average—racked up 19 hits on the day. Amanda Metzger had two home runs and a double among her four hits, driving in five runs. Angel Lopez had three hits including a pair of two-run doubles, while Kristin Worley collected three hits and two stolen bases. Larsen, Reilani Peleti, and Sara Mitrano each had two hits for the victorious Wildcats.
Larsen set down East Bay in order to start game one of Saturday's double dip, and in the bottom of the first inning the 'Cats went right to work, putting a crooked number on the scoreboard. Worley led off with a single, stole second base, and scored when Karter Williams doubled down the left field line. Later in the frame Larsen shot a two-out single up the middle to plate Alani Nguyen, then Lopez knocked in Peleti and Larsen with a double to left field, putting Chico State up 4-0.
Mitrano extended the 'Cats' advantage to 6-0 in the bottom of the third inning when her double to left-center field chased home Larsen and Lopez, then in the fourth Chico State put up a four-spot—Metzger scored from third on a wild pitch, and then with Nguyen and Grace Gallagher aboard, Peleti blasted a high-arcing home run to left field to give the Wildcats a 10-0 lead.
The only suspense remaining was whether Larsen could complete her second straight no-hitter. She walked the leadoff hitter in the top of the fifth, but the 'Cats' ace put the no-no to bed with authority, striking out the next three East Bay batters to end the game and give Chico State the 10-0 victory.
Larsen posted her seventh complete game and fifth shutout of the season as a result of the no-hitter, moving her season record to 8-1. Larsen has not allowed a hit in her last 15 innings of work.
In the nightcap, the Wildcats received a gift run in the bottom of the first inning when a two-out Pioneers error allowed Drew Rodriguez to score all the way from first. The 'Cats played long ball in the second inning, as Metzger knocked in Lopez with a home run to left field to make it a 3-0 contest.
Chico State blew the contest open in the bottom of the third inning, sending 13 batters to the plate and scoring seven times. A bases-loaded, two-run double by Lopez started the uprising, then Mitrano singled home Peleti to make the score 6-0. Metzger immediately followed with a booming round-tripper that cleared the left field fence by nearly 40 feet—the three-run homer ballooning the 'Cats' lead to 9-0. Peleti's two-out single drove in Maddy Johnson with what turned out to be the final run of the game.
Sam Mulock was masterful in the pitcher's circle, allowing just two East Bay baserunners through the first four innings. In the fifth, the Pioneers threatened to score for the first time in the series by using two singles and a Wildcats error to load the bases. Mulock thwarted the East Bay rally by getting Emilie Portesi to ground out to Peleti at first base, wrapping up Chico State's 10-0 victory and the doubleheader sweep.
Mulock improved her record to 8-0 with her sixth complete game and fourth shutout of the season.
Chico State is on the road next weekend, traveling to the Bay Area to take on the Gators of San Francisco State. The four-game series gets underway Friday with a doubleheader beginning at 12 noon, followed by a Saturday twin bill at 11 a.m.
