CHICO, Calif. – In a regular-season finale that featured 17 runs, 25 hits, and multiple lead changes, Chico State came up just short Saturday afternoon, falling 9–8 to Stanislaus State in front of a lively Wildcat Day and Senior Day crowd at Nettleton Stadium.
Prior to first pitch, Chico State honored its 23-member senior class in a heartfelt pregame ceremony. The Wildcats recognized: Nate Skorheim, Dillon Wells, Hunter Boylan, Aidan Garza, James Courshon, Christian Dijkman, Patrick Barnum, Sean Pauly, Caden Reitzenstein, Drake Richardson, Casey Vogan, Phoenix Casias, Elijah Pascual, Ryan Silvers, Tyce Ochs, Lorenzo Mariani, Joseph Loubert, Thade Miller, Jeremy Keller, Daniel Vierra, Troy Kent, Marco Ibarra, and Ernie Arambula.
Despite the loss, the Wildcats close out the regular season at 29–20 overall and 22–18 in the CCAA, officially securing the No. 5 seed in the CCAA Tournament. They'll open postseason play Wednesday at 4 p.m. against host and No. 4 seed Cal State LA in an elimination game at Reeder Field.
Trailing 9–8 after a five-run seventh inning by the Warriors, Chico State had its chances late but couldn't come up with the tying run. The Wildcats left two runners stranded in the seventh and went down in order in the eighth and ninth against Stanislaus closer Noah Chelberg, who struck out six of the final nine batters he faced to earn the win in relief.
Chico State built leads of 2–1, 5–4, and 8–4, but the Warriors answered each time, capitalizing on a three-error afternoon by the Wildcats. Jackson Brooks delivered the game's biggest blow with a three-run double in the seventh that put Stanislaus ahead for good.
Jeremy Keller stayed hot at the plate, going 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a double. Thade Miller, Phoenix Casias, and Troy Kent each scored twice, and Daniel Vierra drove in two runs with a two-out single in the fifth.
Marco Ibarra allowed four runs over five innings in the start. Drake Richardson (3–1) was tagged with the loss after allowing four runs in the seventh. Chico State used six pitchers in total, with Tyce Ochs keeping the game close with 1.1 scoreless innings to finish it.
Chico State and Cal State LA ended up splitting their four-game series at Nettleton Stadium last month.
