CHICO, Calif. – The Chico State baseball team put together another doubleheader sweep in different fashion against No. 10 Colorado Mesa at Nettleton Stadium on Saturday.
 
The first game will go down as an instant classic in the friendly rivalry with Colorado Mesa as the Wildcats rallied down one in the 10^th inning to walkoff the Mavericks 5-4. The evening game saw Evan Tomlinson and Aaron McCurley pitch the Wildcats to a 3-2 win to complete the rare three-game sweep over Colorado Mesa.
 
With the doubleheader sweep, Chico State has now won five straight games and moves to 7-2 overall to wrap up the non-conference schedule.
 
Game 1 – CHICO 5, CMU 4 (10 innings)
While the game will go down as a classic to their rivalry, the game will be known for having the patience. Trailing 3-2 since the third inning, the Wildcats couldn't find a light in their offense in the middle innings. They were limited to at least two singles until the seventh inning, when Troy Kent took a pitch that hit the light post in center field for a one-out solo home run to tie the game.
 
After a quiet eighth inning, Colorado Mesa came up with a threat in the ninth when the inning's leadoff hitter Kolby Felix, the potential go-ahead run, reached third with two out. Marco Ibarra, who had to come into the game with Felix on first and the heart of the order coming up, got a grounder to get out of the threat and keep the game tied.
 
The Mavericks quickly broke the tie in the 10^th inning as catcher Declan Wiesner opened the frame with a five-pitch go-ahead home run to left. Ibarra got a fly out followed by back-to-back groundouts to limit the deficit to one run.
 
The Wildcats' rally began with Jesse Gadd hitting a one-out double to right field and was subbed in by Brady Wright. Wright took third on a wild pitch. Pinch-hitter Korey Likens was hit by the pitch to put on the corners and was replaced by Ernie Arambula. Casey Vogan hit a ground ball that to short that could have been a game-ending play but instead the ball ricocheted off Kennedy Hara's shin and into the outfield, allowing Wright to score in the tying run. Miller followed with a pitch hit over the left fielder Tyler Glowacki to complete the rally.
 
Game 2 – CHICO 3, CMU 2
The Mavericks quickly went to work against Tomlinson, using a one-out double followed by a single to put runners at the corners in the first inning. Colorado Mesa could only get bring one run home off a ground ball.
 
Chico State's offense had a similar story in the first inning going against Liam Hohenstein. Kent was hit by the pitch with one out and Daniel Vierra reached on a single. Hohenstein was able to get out of the early threat with a flyout and a strikeout.
 
After Tomlinson pitched out of a two-out walk in the second, Carson Case led off the Wildcats' half of the inning with a walk. He stole second and scored when Lorenzo Mariani doubled to right. Miller hit a groundball that was once again misplayed by the shortstop Hara that allowed Mariani to score the go-ahead run all the way from second.
 
The lead was short lived as the Mavericks responded with a leadoff double followed by a one-out RBI single to tie the game at two.
 
Colorado Mesa would threaten Tomlinson and Chico State again in the fourth inning. With runners at the corners and one out, Tomlinson got out of it with a strikeout and a groundout to force the Mavericks to hang a zero in the inning. The right-hander pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the fifth to end his day. He struck out one batter while allowing five hits and a walk on 73 pitches.
 
Hohenstein would retire Mariani and Miller to start the home half of the fifth inning, but Kent singled to left, took second on a wild pitch and scored on Jeremy Keller's base hit to center field to give Chico State a 3-2 lead.
 
McCurley, who had an off day on the mound against the Mavericks Friday, bounced back from the funk by retiring the final six batters in the game to pick up his first save on the season.
 
Chico State now looks to showcase their impressive non-conference performance against the CCAA, which begins Friday at San Francisco State. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. That game will not have a radio broadcast. Saturday's game will be heard on KPAY Newstalk 93.9, and Sunday will be on KPAY Sports AM 1290 and 102.9 FM.