CHICO, Calif. – Troy Kent had two doubles and three RBIs as the Chico State baseball team split the 9/7-inning doubleheader with Cal State San Bernardino on a sunny Saturday at Nettleton Stadium.
The Wildcats scratch and clawed to an 11-10 win in game one while the Coyotes got their runs early and held on to take the twilight contest 3-2.
Chico State closes out the day 20-12 overall and 13-10 in the CCAA. San Bernardino, meanwhile, heads to the hotel 23-14 overall and 15-12 in conference.
Both teams collectively had 34 hits, with 28 were all in game one. For Chico State, Kent, Michael Baker and Phoenix Casias each had three hits. Baker also tripled in game one.
Game one began with San Bernardino taking a 4-0 heading into the home half of the third inning. Chico State responded with two runs in its half of the inning. It started with Miller hitting a one-out single. Casias also singled but a misplay in center field allowed Miller to score and put Casias at third. Kent hit a ground ball that was enough to get Casias home.
One inning later, Baker and Ernie Arambula drew a walk and Casey Vogan singled to load the bases. Miller hit into a fielder's choice to score in Baker and Casias knocked in two-runs on a single to center that gave the Wildcats a 5-4 lead.
Both teams collected a run in the fifth. It was the sixth inning when the Coyotes batted through the lineup and answered back with four runs, two unearned, to retake the lead, 9-6.
The seventh inning saw the momentum shift back to Chico State. Arambula led off with a walk, Brady Wright and Thade Miller singled. Kent hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Arambula. Daniel Vierra hit a ground ball to third that would have ended the inning, but a bad throw allowed the inning to continue and score in Miller and Wright to tie the game at 10.
It was the eighth inning that became the difference in the game. Vogan reached on a one-out fielding error and pinch-runner Sean Pauly scored on Wright's sacrifice fly to center.
Ryan Silvers came into the ninth inning and pitched around a hit-by-pitch for his third save of the season.
Six pitchers were used in game one. Drake Richardson was credited the win after Chico State broke the 10-run tie in the eighth. He threw 1.1 shutout innings with two strikeouts.
San Bernardino took a 3-0 lead after three innings of game two. Chico State's offense tried to figure out left-hander Matt Romero as he only conceded two walks during that stretch. It was the fourth inning when the Wildcats were able to break through. Kent drew a one-out walk and Vierra found a hole on the right side for the Wildcats' first hit in the game that put runners at the corners. Jeremy Keller hit into a fielder's choice that was enough to bring Kent home for the first run.
Following a quiet fifth inning, the Wildcats went back to work again in the sixth inning. Chico State had the bases loaded with one out and could only get one run across, a sacrifice fly by Michael Baker.
The Wildcats went out quietly in the seventh inning.
Chico State and Cal State San Bernardino wrap up the four-game CCAA series Sunday at 11 a.m.
