Cal Poly Pomona's Rhys Stevens walked into Nettleton Stadium having allowed just one earned run in 23.1 innings pitched this season, good enough for a 0.39 ERA, which ranked seventh-best in NCAA Division II. Two-and-one-third innings later, Chico State blew his ERA up to 2.81 after drawing five walks and tallying six hits on him, including back-to-back home runs by Logan Drummond and Jacob Jablonski to propel the Wildcats to a 10-7 win Friday evening to open the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) series.
Drummond finished the day with a two-hit, four RBI game. Jablonski had just one hit and although Jeffrey Ray went hitless, both individuals did get on base three times on walks. Starting pitcher Ethan Lay threw five innings giving up five runs on as many hits and one walk, the only free pass the 'Cats allowed all evening. Lay and Tyce Oches each had two of Chico State's six strikeouts.
The Wildcats (8-6, 3-2 CCAA) found themselves in a 2-1 hole going into their half of the second inning. Stevens would hit catcher Jeremy Keller on the first pitch of the inning and walked leadoff man Jeffrey Ray with one out. Drummond took an 0-1 pitch down the right-field line for a three-run jack and Jablonski followed with a full-count solo shot to right, giving the 'Cats a 5-2 lead.
Chico State continued haunting Stevens in the third inning. With one out, Ernie Arambula singled and Ray walked again to setup another RBI hit by Drummond. Stevens walked Jablonski to end his day and was tagged for two more runs when Zach Morris singled to right to knock both in and give the 'Cats an 8-2 lead.
Historically, the Broncos (13-6, 5-4 CCAA) have been a team that never quits early in the game, even being down by six after three innings. They eventually got three runs back in the fifth inning when Marco Malerba hit a no-doubt three-run home run to slice the deficit in half.
A critical inning for the Wildcats came in the sixth inning. With two outs, Kyle Dobson singled and scored all the way from first on Keller's double to left field. While Keller advanced to third on the throw, he eventually scored on a wild pitch to give Chico State a 10-5 lead.
Cal Poly Pomona got one run in the seventh inning but threatened to do damage in the ninth. Following a leadoff home run to make it 10-7, the Broncos had runners at the corners with one out, but Josh Verdon got a strikeout and a flyout to earn his third save of the season.
The 'Cats and Broncos meet again for a 9/7-inning doubleheader Saturday. Game one's first pitch is at noon.
