The Chico State baseball team took an aggressive approach at the plate and on the base paths. It seemed to have worked as the Wildcats got five runs in two innings. But the defense that has been haunting Chico State all season long allowed Cal State East Bay to rally in the middle innings and post a 13-9 win over the Wildcats to split the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) series Sunday afternoon.
Chico State falls to 14-10 overall and 9-6 in the CCAA. By splitting the four-game set, East Bay leaves Nettleton Stadium 12-14 overall but a 6-10 conference record keeps the Pioneers in the CCAA Tournament picture.
Soon after Wildcat starter Ryan Day pitched out of a single and an error to start the game, he was rewarded with early run support. Leadoff man Jeffrey Ray led off the first with a walk and scored all the way from first when Cameron Mahaffy hit a double over the left fielder and onto the warning track. Logan Drummond and Alden Quintanilla both singled to right to score in Mahaffy and Kyle Dobson laid down a perfectly placed but to the left side for single to load the bases. Unfortunately, the Wildcats could only get one more run across as Dom Meza hit a deep fly ball to center for a sacrifice fly and give Chico State 3-0 lead.
Chico State got two more runs across that was starting to become pivotal to the game at the time. With one out in the second inning, Ray and Mahaffy got singles through the left side and scored on back-to-back groundouts.
Although going on the attack early worked for the Wildcats, the Pioneers would respond to that and say it was too early to give up. That became true when East Bay scored three runs in the third. Then the Pioneers let Chico State hand them the lead after the Wildcats committed two critical errors in the fifth to score five unearned runs to take an 8-6 lead.
The Pioneers scored three runs, one unearned, in the sixth and another free run in the seventh to take a 12-6 lead.
Chico State got two runs across in the eighth inning. Ernie Arambula drew a leadoff walk and scored on Elijah Jackson's triple down the left field line. Jackson jogged his way home on Mahaffy's third RBI of the game.
Mahaffy would go 4-for-5 on the day with two doubles and three RBIs.
As the Wildcats bid farewell, and in a way good riddance, to the Pioneers, they have less than 24 hours to prepare for a non-conference game against Hawai`i Pacific. The rare Monday game begins at 3 p.m.
