ARCATA – The return to the road for the Wildcats was plagued by two losses to begin their series against the Lumberjacks on the Northern California coast. The 'Cats outhit the home team but had difficulty stringing their offense together and driving runs home.
Tomorrow, the 'Cats will look to steal a pair of wins and secure a split in the series to keep their conference postseason chances alive.
Chico State had a challenging pair of outings from the circle, calling upon four pitchers to make a dent in the Lumberjacks offense. However, large stretches of offense proved disastrous for the Wildcats across both games.
A score of errors from the 'Cats in both games added extra trouble to the day.
Amelie Valdez had the start in game one, striking out three lumberjacks, allowing three earned runs and four walks in three innings in the circle.
Ali Lewis nabbed three hits in game two, going 3-for-3, but had a difficult start to the day with a drought of hits at the plate. Batting .302 on the season, the freshman was one of three 'Cats to record more than a single hit in a game and has proven a solid addition to the Wildcats offense this season.
Early runs in the first inning from the home team made both games uphill battles for the Wildcats. The Lumberjacks excelled at filling the bases and applying the pressure to Chico State, preying on any mistake to add tallies to their score.
After going up 2-0 in the first inning, the 'Cats cut the deficit to a single run with a triple into center field from Elisa Haas, giving Brianna Swihart the go-ahead to dash home. Haas recorded the only two RBIs on the day for Chico State on a single hit and a forced out at first, which provided Ali Lewis the chance to score in game two.
Unfortunately, three runs in response from the Lumberjacks extended their lead and took game one of the doubleheader.
Game two was a similar sight, with the home side gaining a three-run lead heading into the sixth inning, where the Wildcats garnered a glimpse of hope offensively behind hits from Ali Lewis, Brianna Swihart, and Elisa Haas. Haas forced an out at first base, sending Ali Lewis home and placing Swihart in prime scoring position.
A passed ball by the catcher in the next at-bat saw Swihart across home plate. Shrinking the 'Jacks led to a single run.
However, the rally was cut short as CPH scored six runs in the sixth to snuff out the comeback and take the day's second game.
The series' final two games kick off at 11 am in Arcata.
