The Chico State baseball team has developed a knack for winning. With its sixth consecutive win, the Wildcats are pre-empting their season with a great start.

On Saturday, Feb. 6, Chico State faced the Point Loma Sea Lions for the third time in one weekend at Nettleton Stadium. Winning the game 3-1, the ‘Cats swept the Sea Otters.

This win puts the Chico State baseball team at 6-0 in pre-conference matches.

The Wildcats started the game strong in the first inning with a 1-0 lead, scored by junior outfielder Sonny Cortez. With solid defense from both teams, the ‘Cats and the Sea Lions held the score at 1-0 until the seventh inning.

At the top of the seventh, a catching error allowed one run against Chico State. This left the game tied at 1-1.

Casey Bennett, a junior infielder, led off in the bottom of the inning. A catching error allowed Bennett to advance to first base.

At the top of the Wildcat order, Cortez was up to bat and advanced to first due to another Sea Lion error. A third error left Point Loma scrambling while Bennett and Cortez ran home.

These consecutive errors for Point Loma resulted in a 3-1 lead for the Wildcats heading into the eighth inning. Neither team scored again, resulting in a 3-1 win declared in the top of the ninth.

Andy Burschinger, a senior pitcher, said, “This is a great start of the season for us. It carries momentum into next week for another non-conference series against Academy of Art. Hopefully we can keep the energy going.”

The Wildcats face Academy of Art at Nettleton Stadium on Friday, Feb. 12.

Anna Baytosh can be reached at [email protected], or @anna_baytosh on Twitter.