The Chico State baseball team got two California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) wins over Cal State East Bay in two dramatic fashion Saturday. In game one, the 'Cats had to hold off the Pioneers from rallying in the ninth inning to secure a 6-5 score. The Pioneers was on the verge of taking the evening game after scoring two runs in the eighth inning, but the Wildcats answered back in their half of the frame and Jeffrey Ray literally walked to a 4-3 come-from-behind win.
The Wildcats improve to 14-9 overall and 9-5 in the CCAA while the Pioneers drop to 11-14 overall and 5-10 in conference play. Chico State will look to take the series win when the two return to 'The Nett' Sunday at noon.
Game 1 – Chico State 6, Cal State East Bay 5
Although the Wildcats got the victory, the errors continue to haunt them as it has been all season long. The Wildcats defense committed five miscues that allowed four unearned runs across.
Justin Tamelier surrendered nine of East Bay's 14 hits and a walk but allowed only one earned run in his 6.1 outing and was rewarded with his second win of the season.
Chico State got the scoring started in the second inning. Hunter James Boylan and Dom Meza hit back-to-back singles into the outfield to setup runners at the corners with one out. Meza made his way to second on a wild pitch and the two scored on Ernie Arambula's two-out hit to center field. After Arambula stole second, Ray brought him home with the inning's fourth hit into the outfield and give Chico State a 3-0 lead.
The Wildcats had a 5-1 lead going into the sixth inning when three crucial errors allowed the Pioneers to answer back and make it a one run score.
A Logan Drummond run in the seventh inning proved to be the difference in the game. The freshman drew a one-out walk, stole second and scored on Kyle Dobson's double down the right field line to make it 6-4 Chico State.
Josh Verdon was asked to close it out in the sixth inning with the two-run lead. He got the first batter on a strikeout but made a critical throwing error after receiving a pitch back to him. The run was scored on a sacrifice fly but the Pioneers had the tying and winning runs on base. Fortunately, Verdon got a second crack on another ground ball to him that was thrown perfectly to first for the out and the win.
Game 2 – Chico State 4, Cal State East Bay 3 (9 innings)
Unlike game one, which Chico State recorded eight innings in a scheduled nine-inning game, the Wildcats were offensively quiet and had to crawl their way to runs.
Cody Gentry had another respectable outing on the mound, going five innings with three strikeouts but allowing his only run in the second inning.
The Pioneers had enjoyed that 1-0 lead until the fifth inning. Boylan went opposite field and doubled to the left field line and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt. Arambula hit a grounder to second that was enough for Boylan to score in the tying run.
Cal State East Bay had stranded the potential go-ahead run at third in the seventh inning but did come up with two runs in the eighth. Jacob Klinovsky, who was the hero in game one with the bases-clearing double that gave the Pioneers an 8-5 win in the 10
th, came up clutch again off the bench when he hit a double down the right field line to give East Bay a 3-1 lead.
Chico State answered back with two runs of its own. Arambula hit a one-out double and Ray followed with a walk. Alden Quintanilla delivered a pinch-hit single to drive in Arambula and put Ray at third, who jogged in the tying run on Kyle Dobson's sacrifice fly to center.
Kyle Lewis, who came into the game in the eighth to stop the damage done by the Pioneers, avoided a go-ahead threat in the ninth.
East Bay closer James Colyer, who saved game one despite loading the bases right away, was put into a similar situation with one out. Ray was behind the count at 1-2 when he fought his way to ball four to force a walkoff win over the Pioneers.
Cal State East Bay had a dozen hits in the game, Chico State had five.
