CHICO, Calif. – Chico State's ninth-inning rally came up just short as the Wildcats fell to Cal State San Marcos 5–4 in the opener of a four-game CCAA series at Nettleton Stadium on a perfect Friday evening.

Chico State falls to 14–13 overall and 3–6 in the CCAA. Cal State San Marcos improves to 15–5 overall and 2–3 in conference play.

Wildcat Standouts
Brady Wright – Went 2-for-4 and scored a run while sparking the Wildcats late.
Roman Roberts – Delivered a pinch-hit RBI single in the ninth inning.
Jackson Snitko – Finished 1-for-3 with an RBI and a walk.

Game Highlights
– Chico State missed out on turning an inning-ending double play in the third inning, and the miscue proved costly as the Cougars scored twice to take a 3–0 lead.
– Cal State San Marcos added an early run in the second inning and extended the lead to 3–0 through three frames.
– The Wildcats broke through in the fourth inning when Jesse Gadd scored on a wild pitch to cut the deficit to 3–1.
– The Cougars pushed across two key runs in the eighth inning to stretch the lead to 5–1.
– Chico State responded in the bottom half after a dropped pop-up to open the inning. Following a Keoni Coloma walk and a wild pitch that moved both runners into scoring position, pinch-hitter Carson Case lifted a sacrifice fly to the right field wall.
– Jackson Snitko followed with an RBI groundout to make it 5–3 heading into the ninth.
– With two outs in the ninth, Brady Wright and Roman Roberts delivered back-to-back singles to plate a run, but the Wildcats were unable to bring home the tying run.

By the Numbers
– Both teams recorded eight hits in the game.
– Chico State scored three of its four runs in the final two innings.
– The Wildcats left five runners on base.
– Cal State San Marcos scored four of its five runs with two outs.

Wildcat Tidbits
– With the loss, Chico State still leads the all-time series with Cal State San Marcos, 18–9, dating back to 2016. Neither team has won consecutive games in the last six meetings.
– Dave Taylor, in his 20th season, is 604–354–0 as the head coach at Chico State. He is also 719–448–1 in 24 years as an NCAA head coach.

Up Next
Chico State and Cal State San Marcos continue the series Saturday with a 9/7-inning doubleheader at Nettleton Stadium. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 1 p.m.