A big fifth inning secured the Chico State baseball team's 7-1 win in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader and a big sixth inning secured a 7-3 win in the nightcap as the Wildcats swept Sonoma State at Nettleton Stadium. They'll go for the four-game series sweep of their rivals in the series finale Sunday at noon.
 
The 15^th-ranked Wildcats improved to 10-2 overall and 3-0 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association behind some big innings, some clutch pitching, and splendid defense. Sonoma State slipped to 3-9 overall and 0-3 in the CCAA. The Wildcats have now won eight straight and 15 of their last 16 against the Seawolves.
 
The Wildcats trailed 1-0 two pitches into the first game, which resulting in a triple and sacrifice fly. But starter Rylan Tinsley stiffened after that. He allowed just the one run on four hits in six innings of work, striking out seven. Tinsely is now 2-0 on the season. Tyler Chivens chipped in two perfect innings in relief, striking out three, and Cayden Castellanos closed the door with a scoreless ninth.
 
Chico State's offense was silent against Sonoma State starter Jason Doktorczyk until Jack Murphy turned on a pitch leading off the fourth inning and drove it just inside the right field foul pole, tying the game at 1.
 
Tinsley wriggled out of a jam in the fifth by striking out two batters with the bases loaded, and his offense rewarded him with a lead in the bottom-half of the frame. Elijaj Jackson's two-out single started things, and then Kyle Dobson drilled a line drive to right that got under the diving outfielder's glove and rolled to the wall for an RBI triple.
 
The Wildcats broke the game open in the seventh. Jeffrey Ray seeded the rally with a leadoff double and Dobson drove in a pair with a double down the right-field line ahead of Murphy's two-run single to left. Grady Morgan's sacrifice squeeze bunt made it 7-1.
 
Murphy finished 2-for-4 with two runs and three RBI. Dobson went 2-for-3 with three RBI.
 
The offense staked starter Braeden Gowdy to a 3-0 lead in the first inning of game two. Jacob Jablonski's RBI single started things, and he later stole home. Andrew Crane's RBI-groundout made it 4-0 in the third before the Seawolves started to battle back. They scored a run in the fourth and two more in the fifth to make it 4-3, but got no closer.
 
Dobson's one-out single in the sixth helped spark the three-run rally to put the game away. A Sonoma State error with two outs allowed the first run of the inning to score, Murphy singled home another, and then Morgan singled home the last to make it 7-3.
 
Gowdy got the win, improving to 3-0, and Eric Hill retired the final five Seawolves to earn his first save as a Wildcat.
 
During its 9-0 start at home, Chico State has now outscored its opponents by a combined 115-25.
 
The Wildcats hope to keep trending in that direction as the series concludes Sunday at noon. The game will be broadcast locally on AM-1290 KPAY radio and streamed on the CCAA Network, with Mike Baca on the call. Links to streaming audio for all three games, as well as live stats, and the two games available on the CCAA Network, can be found at www.chicowildcats.com in the calendar section on the homepage and on the baseball schedule page.
 
HELP US PACK THE PANTRY!
It's Chico State Athletics Pack the Pantry Week and we have set a big goal—10,000 items—which would break the record we set last year. We need your help to reach it. You can donate monetarily HERE and every dollar will count for two items. You can also drop off a donation at Sunday's game. Thank you for your support of Chico State's students, including our student-athletes!

Pitcher, Rylan Tinsley strikes out the Sea Wolves with all bases loaded in the 5th inning! pic.twitter.com/RrR99y2p3k

— Chico Wildcats (@ChicoWildcats) February 26, 2022

 
 

Kyle Dobson "Dobby" with the hit to give the Wildcats a 4-1 lead in the seventh inning! pic.twitter.com/26cAtvNHLI

— Chico Wildcats (@ChicoWildcats) February 26, 2022