CHICO, Calif. - Marco Ibarra threw eight excellent innings and Ryan Silvers came up clutch in the end as the 20th-ranked Chico State baseball team held off a rallying Cal Poly Pomona team 4-3 at Nettleton Stadium to open a four-game CCAA series on a perfect Friday evening.

Chico State snaps a three-game losing skid and improves to 9-5 overall and 2-3 in the CCAA. Cal Poly Pomona, coming off an impressive series win over the defending CCAA champions Cal State Monterey Bay last weekend, falls to 6-8 overall and 3-2 in conference play.

The game was marked by stellar performances from the Wildcats, notably from Ibarra and his batterymate Daniel Vierra. Vierra came up a home run short from the cycle but he excelled with his double and a triple, scoring twice, which proved crucial for Chico State's win. Ibarra delivered a dominant pitching display, throwing eight incredible innings, allowing just three hits and earning a career-high seven strikeouts without conceding a walk. After giving up a leadoff single to start the fourth inning, Ibarra went on to retire the final 15 batters he faced before the bullpen took over in the ninth.

A pivotal moment occurred in the eighth inning Daniel Vierra hit a one-out triple and was brought home by Jeremy Keller after a sharp grounder hit the shin of Bronco pitcher Colt Tucker and deflected to third base.

Despite a late rally by the Broncos in the ninth inning, which saw them closing the gap with two runs from a walk and three hit batsmen, relief pitcher Silvers successfully protected the slim lead. Silvers entered with bases loaded and no outs, but managed to secure the Wildcats' victory by executing two strikeouts and a pop out to earn his second save of the season.

The Wildcats and Broncos return to 'The Nett' on Saturday for the traditional 9/7-inning doubleheader. Game one is set to begin at 1 p.m. Both games can be heard on KPAY Newstalk 9.39 FM with Mike Baca calling the action. As always, the game can be seen on FloCollege.