Chico State Baseball Coach Dave Taylor is no "dumb jock." He's got a bachelor's degree in social science, a master's degree in kinesiology, and he's a baseball mastermind. Still, he's much better with a bullpen than the ballpoint kind. Friday night he stuck to his night job: coaching up his Wildcats. It's a good thing. Otherwise, you all would have been hit with the thrilling headline "No Walks" after Chico State's 18-4 dismantling of Cal State San Marcos Friday night at Nettleton Stadium.
 
"No walks," Taylor exclaimed when the box score was delivered to the dugout following the Wildcats' first night game of the season. "That's your headline!"
 
That was genuinely the story of the night for Taylor, whose pitching staff has been issuing more free passes than he would prefer. Neither Starter Rylan Tinsley or relievers Gerrit Erickson and Eddie Rios walked or hit a batter all evening.
 
It marked the third time this year that the Wildcats did not walk an opposing batter, but the first time in conference play. Tinsley allowed four runs — three earned — on six hits in six innings of work to move to 5-0 in seven starts this season. Erickson retired all six hitters he faced, striking out a pair. Rios retired the Cougars in order in the ninth.
 
However, headlines are supposed to grab the reader's attention. How's this: The Wildcats have now surpassed their last full-season run total (254 runs in 49 games in 2019) with 266 runs in their first 25 games of this season. If you are thinking "Wow," you are right. This is the first time since 1999 the Wildcats have reached double digits in scoring in five games in a row. The record is six, set in 1997. If you're thinking "Didn't both of those teams win the National Championship," you are right.
 
Chico State has now won five straight (starting with four in a row at Stanislaus State last weekend) by a combined score of 83-30. "WOWZA!" is the correct response. The Wildcats have also won nine of their last 10 and 16 of their last 19 to improve to 20-5 overall and 13-3 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. They lead second-place Cal State Monterey Bay by 1.5 games. Cal State San Marcos slipped to 9-14 overall and 5-8 in the CCAA.
 
The series continues with a doubleheader Saturday at noon and concludes with a single game Sunday at 11 a.m. All three of those games will be broadcast locally on AM-1290 and FM 102.9 KPAY Sports and streamed on the CCAA Network.
 
Chico State actually fell behind in the first inning Friday, but snatched the lead for good in the bottom half of the inning. Jeffrey Ray led off with a double, scored on Jack Murphy's base hit, and Murphy came around to score on Grady Morgan's RBI-grounder for a 2-1 advantage.
 
The Wildcats turned it into a blowout in the fourth, sending 11 runners to the plate and scoring six times. Elijah Jackson and Murphy notched run-scoring singles and Morgan smoked a two-run single through the right side as the lead grew to 8-1. A 10-run fifth left no doubt. Ray was 2-for-2 with three RBI in the inning. Murphy had a two-run double and Willie Lajoie a two-run single.
 
Jackson went 3-for-3 Friday, while Murphy and Ray each went 3-for-4. Lajoie, Jacob Jablonski, Michael Bennin and Kyle Dobson banged out two hits apiece. Gabe Arellano, Jackson, and Dobson each drew a walk, something no single Cougars player experienced. Ray, Lajoie, Jablonski, and Dobson were each drilled by a pitch, something that did not happen to a single Cal State San Marcos hitter.
 
Got any plans this weekend? Run — don't walk! — to Nettleton Stadium to see the most exciting one of the nation's most exciting teams.