After staving off a rally to win game one the Chico State baseball team nearly rallied to win the nightcap but instead settled for a doubleheader split at Cal State LA Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats won the first game 8-7, sparked by Jack Murphy's three-run homer, Grady Morgan's four-hit game, and Eric Hill's clutch relief pitching. The dropped the nightcap 2-1 in eight innings despite starting pitcher Austin McFarlane's best outing yet as a Wildcat and a rousing game-tying rally in the seventh.
 
McFarlane surrendered just one unearned run in seven innings, and Morgan doubled home the tying run in the seventh with the aid of an error. Pinch runner Ernie Arambula fell down rounding third base, but an errant throw allowed him to score all the way from first, knotting the score. The Golden Eagles slapped three seeing-eye singles in the bottom of the eighth to walk it off.
 
It was part of a seven-hit day for Morgan, who has now hit safely in 12 straight games for the Wildcats, now 24-7 overall and 17-5 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. Willie Lajoie, who drew a two-out walk to set the stage for the seventh-inning rally, saw his team season-best hitting streak come to an end at 14 games.
 
No. 14 Chico State's lead atop the CCAA standings is back to a half game, where it began the weekend, after Cal State Monterey Swept a doubleheader at Cal State San Marcos Saturday. Cal State Dominguez Hills, which has won its first three games of a series against Cal State San Bernardino, is a 1.5 games back.
 
The Wildcats grabbed the lead in game one with two runs in the first and two more in the second. Reigning CCAA Player of the Week Jeffrey Ray drew a leadoff walk (reaching base for the 10^th straight game), advanced to second when Lajoie doubled, and both runners scored on Morgan's single to center. Andrew Crane's two-run homer plated Jarret Lindsay (who had reached on a one-out double) in the second.
 
Chico State's lead was 5-4 heading to the fifth before Murphy mashed a three-run homer. Lindsay walked, Crane sacrificed him to second, and Ray walked to set the table.
 
The 8-4 advantage didn't last long, however. Cal State LA scored a run in the bottom half of the inning before the Wildcats' second double play of the day (with the bases loaded) got them out of the jam.
 
The Golden Eagles scored twice more in the seventh to cut the lead to 8-7 before Josh Verdon came on in relief with a runner on and one out. Verdon struck out two to get out of the inning and then got the first two hitters of the eighth before an infield single and a walk put the go-ahead run in scoring position. Hill came to the rescue, getting a routine fly ball for the third out. He struck out the side on the ninth to close it out for his third save of the season.
 
Cody Gentry earned the win, allowing four earned runs in five innings of work. He struck out four, walked two, and allowed seven hits in improving to 6-1.
 
Morgan went 4-for-5, Lindsay 3-for-5. Crane and Murphy had two hits apiece.
 
McFarlane (2-1) was magnificent in the nightcap, allowing only an unearned run on four singles in the first seven innings. He did not walk or hit a batter.
 
The Wildcats had chances to stake him to a lead but stranded nine runners through the first six innings. They left the bases loaded in the first and second.
 
The series concludes with a single game Sunday at 11 a.m. The game will be broadcast locally on AM-1290/FM-102.9 and streamed online via the KPAY Sports app and the CCAA Network. Links are available on the homepage and baseball schedule page at www.chicowildcats.com.