CHICO, Calif. – Chico State and Cal State San Marcos split the middle games of a four-game CCAA series Saturday at Nettleton Stadium, as the Wildcats dropped the opener 4–3 before bouncing back with a 9–2 win in the nightcap.
With the split, the Wildcats moved to 15–14 overall and 4–7 in CCAA play. Cal State San Marcos left Chico at 16–6 overall and 3–4 in conference.
Game 1: Cal State San Marcos 4, Chico State 3
The Cougars did all of their scoring in the first inning, using three straight baserunners to open the game before Zech Samayoa delivered a grand slam for a 4–0 lead. Chico State settled in after that, as Aaron McCurley, Dane Padrnos and Nathan Hikes combined to hold Cal State San Marcos scoreless over the final five innings.
Chico State answered with two runs in the second. Jared Cantu singled and came home on Myles Cooper's sacrifice fly, then Kobe Rolling added an RBI single to bring home Brady Wright. The Wildcats cut it to 4–3 in the third when Jackson Snitko doubled, Jesse Gadd singled him to third and Wright followed with a sacrifice fly.
The Wildcats threatened throughout but could not find the tying run, leaving 14 runners on base. Chico State loaded the bases in the seventh with one out, but reliever Mikey Gray escaped the jam. Carson Case reached base four times with two hits and two walks, while Gadd also had two hits and a walk. Snitko went 2-for-4 with a double, and Wright drove in two runs.
Game 2: Chico State 9, Cal State San Marcos 2
The Wildcats wasted little time taking control in the seven-inning nightcap. Chico State scored twice in the first on Joel Gutierrez's two-run double, added another run in the third when Myles Walton tripled and stole home, then broke the game open with a five-run fourth.
That decisive fourth inning started after Juan Nunez was hit by a pitch and Jaylen Hodges walked. Brady Wright followed with a single to load the bases, Michael Baker brought home one with an RBI single, and Roman Roberts blew it open with a grand slam to left that pushed the lead to 8–0.
Cal State San Marcos got on the board in the fifth when Canon King hit a two-run homer, but Chico State answered in the bottom half on Keoni Coloma's RBI single. Roberts finished with four RBIs, Gutierrez drove in two, and Baker also knocked in a run. Walton tripled, walked and stole home, while Wright scored twice and Nunez crossed the plate twice.
Rocco Borrelli earned the win with six strong innings, allowing two runs on seven hits while striking out four. Manny Lopez closed it out in the seventh and induced a game-ending double play.
Wildcat Tidbits
– Roman Roberts' home run was his second of the season.
– With the split, Chico State still leads the all-time series with Cal State San Marcos, 19–10, dating back to 2016. Neither team has won consecutively in the last six meetings.
– Dave Taylor, in his 20th season, is 605–355–0 as Chico State's head coach and 720–449–1 in 24 years as an NCAA head coach.
Up Next
Chico State and Cal State San Marcos close out the four-game CCAA series Sunday at 11 a.m.
