The Wildcats bounced back from their three-game losing streak on Friday night with a tight 4-3 win against the Cal Poly Pomona Broncos through a combination of sharp pitching, hitting and baserunning.
“It’s a good Friday night win for us,” head coach Dave Taylor said. “We don’t necessarily need to sweep, but we need to win a series here, especially after not taking care of things last weekend.”
Chico State was first to get things started in the first inning with two singles, followed by an RBI single from Jeremy Keller to put the Wildcats ahead 1-0.
The Broncos tied the game in the third with a couple of hits, but the Wildcats wasted no time to regain the lead with two runs due to a fielding error and a wild pitch.
Senior pitcher Marco Ibarra delivered a notable performance, throwing eight strong innings. After allowing a run in the third, Ibarra locked in for five scoreless innings, striking out seven and giving up just three hits to earn his second win of the season.
“Year in and year out they put up tough at bats,” Ibarra said. “It’s going to be a tough series, but there’s a good defense behind me. I let them put it in play and let my defense work.”
Catcher Daniel Vierra had a strong night at the plate, going 3-for-4. He scored two of the Wildcats’ crucial runs and was a home run shy of hitting for the cycle.
A late rally featuring a single, a walk and three hit batters allowed the Broncos to score two runs against a struggling Wildcats’ bullpen that forced two pitching changes. Relief pitcher Ryan Silvers took over the mound with no outs and managed to shut it down with two strikeouts and a pop out to seal the win.
“Ryan’s always been a guy we can count on late in the game,” Taylor said. “He’s built trust over last year and already this year, so those guys that have leverage innings to throw have had to prove at some point they can shut teams down.”
The Wildcats advance to a 9-5 record and will continue the series Saturday afternoon in a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. Home games are free for students who bring their student ID or show their Canvas home page.
For more information about all Chico State athletics or to keep up with the game live, visit the Wildcat home page, or watch through FloSports.
Rebecca Gonzalez can be reached at orionmanagingeditor@gmail.com.
