SAN MARCOS, Calif. -- The Chico State baseball team delivered a big performance on Friday afternoon, surging past Cal State San Marcos 9-3 at Dennis A. Pugh Field to open their critical CCAA series and award head coach Dave Taylor his milestone 700th career win as an NCAA head coach.
Due to rain in the forecast, Saturday's doubleheader has been moved up to an 11 a.m. start time, an hour earlier than originally scheduled. The Wildcats will look to secure the series victory and continue building momentum for postseason play.
With the win, Chico State remains firmly in fifth place in the CCAA standings with a 19-14 conference record. It trails Cal State LA (19-13) by just half a game and sit ahead of Cal State San Marcos (16-15) and Cal State San Bernardino (16-16) in a tightly packed postseason race.
Senior right-hander Evan Tomlinson (7-1) turned in another steady outing on the mound, limiting the Cougars to two runs over six innings while scattering seven hits and striking out four. He worked out of early trouble and received a boost in the sixth when Chico State turned a 3-6-1 double play to squash a San Marcos rally. Tyce Ochs and Aaron McCurley combined to close it out, with McCurley pitching the final two innings to seal the win.
At the plate, Chico State racked up 14 hits and broke the game open with a trio of late insurance runs. Michael Baker led the way with a 3-for-4 day, collecting a double and two RBIs. His single in the third inning helped the Wildcats tie the game, and his RBI double in the eighth was part of a key three-run burst that put the contest out of reach.
Thade Miller sparked the offense from the top of the order, going 2-for-3 with an RBI. He also helped manufacture an early run with a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly. Ernie Arambula contributed a pair of hits and drove in two runs, including a clutch two-run single in the eighth.
Troy Kent continued his big senior season by reaching base four times, doubling, walking twice, and scoring twice. His RBI single in the fourth inning gave Chico its first lead of the game. Phoenix Casias chipped in two hits and a double, helping extend several rallies.
The Wildcats' defense was also flawless behind their pitchers, turning a key double play and not committing an error on the afternoon.
