After having their game postponed on Thursday due to the weather, the Wildcats took the field on Friday and lost their first home game of the season 5-2 to the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks.
In their first series of the year, the Wildcats impressively took two out of three from the No. 5 ranked Point Loma Sea Lions on the road last week.
The Wildcats gave the ball to junior Rocco Borelli for his second start of the season. In his first outing, Borelli had a strong outing versus the Sea Lions, going five innings and striking out four while only yielding one earned run.
In his second start, Borelli was able to grit his way through the first inning against the Nighthawks after a throwing error by shortstop Lorenzo Mariani landed a runner on third with two outs. The right-hander struck out the Nighthawks’ clean-up Cris Enriquez to retire the side and escape the jam.
The Nighthawks came out swinging in the third inning, taking advantage of a defensive miscue while also capitalizing on walks. Leadoff hitter Carter Walsh hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring third baseman Liam Herrera. Then, an Enriquez double, combined with a Chico State error, scored two more runs.
The Wildcats struggled offensively, as Nighthawks starter Ernesto Lugo-Canchola, who has been dominating since the start of the season, retired the first nine batters, striking out the side in the third.
The Wildcats finally put runners on base in the fourth when leadoff hitter Thade Miller reached on an infield single, followed by a walk. However, two strikeouts and a caught stealing ended the potential rally. Lugo-Canchola’s ability to escape jams allowed him to pitch six innings.
“He’s a good left-handed pitcher with a better-than-average fastball, and he could throw that changeup whenever he wanted,” said Chico State Head Coach Dave Taylor. “That was a good arm.”
Coach Taylor went to his bullpen to start the sixth inning, and the relief pitching largely held the Nighthawks at bay until the ninth when they scored two insurance runs to put the game out of reach. Taylor was pleased with the opportunity to use some bullpen arms he hadn’t been able to utilize yet.
“This weekend and next, part of the objective is to see as many guys as we can,” Taylor said.
Offensively, the Wildcats struggled, managing only two runs on five hits. Miller had two of those hits, including one of their two extra-base hits.
“I’m just trying to put the ball in play and just get on for my team so the other guys behind me can feast,” Miller said.
The lack of offensive production was a concern for Taylor, who was blunt about the team’s performance at the plate.
“We’ve got to hit better,” Taylor said. “Simple as that.”
He hopes to see improvement in the doubleheader on Saturday when the Wildcats host the Nighthawks at Nettleton Stadium with games at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Home games are free for students who bring their student ID or show their Canvas home page.
For information about all Chico State athletics or to keep up with the game live, visit the Wildcat home page, or watch through FloSports.
J.J. Fain can be reached at [email protected].
