GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Chico State baseball team jumped ahead to a seven-run lead after five innings, but the host Colorado Mesa shifted the momentum to its side and a six-run ninth inning, including a walk-off three-run home run with two outs, completed a 14-13 come-from-behind win over the Wildcats at The Diamond to open the four-game inter-regional series Friday night.
Going to a location where there is a 4,400 feet difference in elevation between Chico and Grand Junction, the Wildcats knew that scoring runs was going to be critical, especially against a Colorado Mesa team that is fourth in the NCAA Division II in home runs and leads the South Central Region.
Both sides combined for 34 hits in the game, with the Mavericks (24-11) holding an 18-16 edge on the Wildcats (20-13). Thirteen of those hits from the 34 total were for extra base hits, including five being home runs.
The Wildcats scored at least a run in the first five innings. With two down in the first inning, Daniel Vierra singled to left and Jeremy Keller followed with a two-run home run to left field to extend his hitting streak to 15 games. The following inning, Carson Stevens and and Michael Baker opened with back-to-back leadoff hits and Elijah Pascual moved the runners over into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Ernie Arambula knocked them in with a two-run double to right.
Chico State kept piling on the runs, adding four more in the third. With one out, Mavericks starting pitcher Evan Bunevich hit both Keller and Stefan Foley and Stevens made those mistakes costly by hitting a three-run shot to center field. Bunevich would walk Baker after the home run to end his day and turn it over to the bullpen. The freshman Baker would steal second, take third on a wild pitch and score on Pascual's groundout to third to give Chico State an 8-0 lead.
Marco Ibarra put zeroes on the first two innings. The Mavericks were able to collect two runs in the third to get on the board, the first being scored on a passed ball and the other on a sacrifice fly.
With two outs in the fourth inning, Keller, Foley and Stevens each singled to score in one run and in the fifth, Alexander Johnson drew a two-out walk and Kent followed with a two-run home run to give Chico State an 11-2 lead.
Although he got out of the fifth inning allowing just two runs, Ibarra was getting into trouble in the sixth that it was time for the bullpen to help him out. The Mavericks was able to score three runs in that inning to shrink the deficit to four.
The Wildcats would go down quietly in the sixth and seventh innings for the first time in the game. They were only able to get two runs in the late innings. In the eighth inning, Vierra doubled and Phoenix Casias brought him in with an RBI single. In the ninth inning, Johnson and Kent went back-to-back two-baggers to take a 13-8 lead.
Colorado Mesa's ninth-inning rally began with back-to-back leadoff singles. An infield fly rule was called for one out but an RBI double got the first run in. While the Wildcats got a strikeout to be one out away from winning the game, the Mavericks got an RBI single followed by the walk-off three-run home run to complete the come-from-behind win.
The two sides will play the 9/7-inning doubleheader Saturday with game one beginning at noon Pacific time.
