The Chico State Wildcats’ baseball team earns its first conference play series win, taking three of four games against the Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes in their fifth series.

The ’Cats’ took games one, two, and four with scores of 3-2, 10-4 and 13-2. The Coyotes took game three with a dominant score of 12-0 to avoid the series sweep.

Game 1: April 2, 6 p.m.

Motivated to start the series off strong, the ’Cats gave the ball to their struggling freshman ace, right-handed pitcher Jack Tews, who has a 3.47 ERA.

The Coyotes immediately put pressure on Tews in the first inning by loading the bases with two outs. Senior catcher Dom Dominguez started the action with a single to right field. Tews then gave up back-to-back walks to freshman utility Tyson Pettingill and junior outfielder Juni Rodriguez to load the bases. 

Luckily, Tews managed to escape the inning by getting senior infielder Greg Luna to fly out on a full count to keep the Coyotes off the board. 

Both teams struggled to find an offensive rhythm as Tews and Coyotes redshirt senior and right-handed pitcher Devyn Hernandez shut down the offenses.

The ’Cats had an opportunity in the sixth inning as sophomore utility Kobe Rolling walked and then advanced to third on a single by freshman utility Jaden Neugebauer with two out. The ’Cats came up empty as senior outfielder Stefan Foley flew out to center to end the inning.

With the offense unable to get going, Tews continued to keep the ’Cats in the game by shutting down the Coyotes. 

Unfortunately, things cracked in the seventh inning as he gave up a leadoff single to senior infielder Patrick Fregoso. With a runner on first and no outs in the inning, redshirt senior Garret Barto stepped to the plate and crushed a 1-0 pitch out of the park. Barto’s eleventh homerun of the season gave the Coyotes the lead 2-0.

With still no outs in the seventh, junior left-handed pitcher Bruno Condit took over for Tews and got three straight outs to keep the game close.

Down by two runs in the seventh, the ’Cats finally answered. 

With one out, junior catcher Cole Nachreiner got things started with a full count walk. Junior infielder Michael Baker doubled to right-center to score Nachreiner as the ’Cats cut the deficit in half, 2-1.

The run gave the ’Cats the momentum as they opened the game in the eighth inning, as Hernandez was replaced by senior right-handed relief pitcher Jesse Alfaro.

Rolling lead off the inning with a five-pitch walk and sophomore infielder Brady Wright came in to pinch run for him.

 Senior utility Keoni Coloma singled to give the ’Cats runners on first and second. Neugebauer advanced both runners by grounding out to first and Foley gave the ’Cats the lead with a double down the right field line to score both Wright and Coloma. 

The ’Cats then found themselves with a chance to blow the game open as the Coyotes loaded the bases with one out. However, they got back-to-back strikeouts to strand the bases loaded, as the ’Cats entered the ninth inning with a 3-2 lead. 

Looking to secure a series-opening comeback win, senior right-handed pitcher Aaron McCurley replaced Condit to close the ninth inning.

McCurley sat them down in order as he got Barto to fly out, sophomore outfielder Keedan Nadeau to strike out and senior outfielder Jeremy Giesegh to ground out as the ’Cats stole the series opener 3-2.

Game 2: April 3, 1 p.m.

After securing a thrilling series-opening comeback win, the ’Cats handed the ball to senior right-handed pitcher Rocco Borrelli. 

The ’Cats took the lead early by putting up a pair of runs in the second inning. 

Foley reached base on a throwing error by the Coyotes third baseman. Neugebauer gave the ’Cats the early lead by doubling to right-center and scoring Foley. Neugebauer then advanced to third on a wild pitch and junior infielder Jackson Snitko brought him in with a sacrifice fly, as the ’Cats ended the second inning up 2-0.

The lead didn’t last long as the Coyotes responded with three runs in the third inning. 

Redshirt junior Eddie Alfaro got things started with a single to left field, Dominguez followed with a single to center and Alfaro advanced to third. Rodriguez brought Alfaro in with a sacrifice fly to give the Coyotes their first run of the game. 

With two outs in the inning, Barto crushed a 1-1 pitch to left field. The ball cleared the fences as Barto’s second homerun of the series and twelfth of the season gave the Coyotes the lead 3-2.

The ’Cats responded with three runs in the fourth inning. Foley singled up the middle and advanced to second on a four-pitch walk by Neugebauer. Nachreiner laid down a sacrifice bunt to third base that was thrown away by the Coyotes’ third basemen, allowing Foley to score, Neugebauer to go to third and Nachreiner to make it to second. Snitko and Baker both drove in runs with back-to-back sacrifice flies as the ’Cats closed the fourth inning up 5-3.

The Coyotes didn’t go away, though, adding another run in the fifth inning. Alfaro singled to left field and scored on a Rodriguez double down the right field line. 

Junior right-handed pitcher Tyler Eastham replaced Borrelli and got senior infielder and pinch-hitter Benji Solano to ground out as the Coyotes narrowed the gap to one run, 5-4.

The ’Cats got the run back in the sixth inning as Baker earned a two-out walk. Wright was hit by a pitch, which gave the ’Cats runners on first and second. 

Sensing danger, the Coyotes replaced senior right-handed pitcher Carter Herrera with senior pitcher Quinn Stewart. 

Rolling singled to left field to score Baker and sophomore outfielder Myles Walton walked to load the bases yet again. Hoping to take advantage of the bases loaded, Coloma came up to bat.

He took a good swing but was just under the pitch, flying out and failing to give the ’Cats any more insurance as they concluded the sixth inning up 6-4.

The ’Cats kept increasing their lead as they added another run in the seventh inning. Foley singled up the middle and advanced to second on a fielder’s choice groundout by Neugebauer. Sophomore catcher Jared Cantu singled up the middle to score Foley and increase the ’Cats’ lead, 7-4. 

Trying to put the game out of reach, the ’Cats put up three more runs in the eighth inning.

Baker singled down the left field line and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Wright. Rolling walked and Walton doubled to right center to score both runners. Coloma singled to right field and scored Walton, as the ’Cats closed the eighth inning and the game, 10-4.

Walton was a huge part of the ’Cats offense, racking up nine hits and five RBIs. He credits the people around him for helping him be calm and collected at the plate.

“Just trying to be myself, be positive up there and just have an approach,” said Walton. “Coach was kind of telling me early in the season that approach is a big thing. I think I took that seriously.” 

Game 3: April 3, 4 p.m.

Hoping to secure their first series win in over a month, the ’Cats handed the ball to junior right-handed pitcher Thomas Meyer. 

The Coyotes struck early in the second inning, putting up five runs on Meyer.

Sophomore catcher Noah Betanco led things off with a walk, Luna singled and Fregoso walked to load the bases with no outs.

 Giesegh singled down the left field line to score Luna and Betanco. Alfaro doubled down the right field line to score Fregoso before Dominguez grounded out to score Gisesegh. The Coyotes added one more run as Barto doubled to left field to score Alfaro as the Coyotes took the early lead 5-0.

The Coyotes struck again in the fifth inning, adding another run off of junior right-handed pitcher Caden Hodina. 

Luna doubled to right field and advanced to third on a flyout by Fregoso. Junior infielder Alejandro McKay came in to pinch hit and scored Luna with a single to right center, as the Coyotes extended the lead 6-0.

Things spiraled out of hand in the sixth as the Coyotes put up six more runs. The ’Cats couldn’t find any offense at all, taking the shutout loss, 12-0.

Game 4: April 4, 11 a.m.

Trying to bounce back from the shutout and clinch the series, the ’Cats gave the ball to freshman right-handed pitcher Jakob Poole.

They answered early in the game by putting up three runs in the first inning. 

Walton singled to left center and advanced to second on a single to right field by Neugebauer. Foley brought both runners in with a double to right-center. Coloma doubled to right field to score Foley and the ’Cats closed the first inning ahead 3-0.

They added another run in the fourth inning as Baker led off the inning with a single up the middle and advanced to second on a single by Rolling. Neugebauer loaded the bases on a five-pitch walk and Baker scored on a wild pitch to increase the lead to 4-0.

Looking to put the game away, the ’Cats put up five more runs in the third inning. Coloma singled up the middle and junior first baseman Roman Roberts stepped up to the plate.

Roberts crushed the ball over the left field wall to add two more runs and notch his second home run of the season, increasing the lead to 6.

After Snitko doubled down the left field line to follow Roberts, the Coyotes replaced sophomore right-handed pitcher Jojo Duran with senior pitcher Ethan Bautista, in hopes of stopping the ’Cats’ offense.

The ’Cats didn’t get the message, putting up three more runs on Bautista. 

Baker singled up the middle to score Snitko, advanced to second on a wild pitch and then stole third. Rolling walked on four pitches and both he and Baker scored on a Walton single up the middle, as the ’Cats closed the third inning up 9-0.

The Coyotes finally got on the board in the sixth inning as Poole was replaced by freshman right-handed pitcher Nathan Hikes. 

Giesegh led off the inning with a walk. Alfaro singled to right field and advanced to second on an error by the ’Cats rightfielder, as Gisegh advanced to third. Barto singled to left to score both runners as the Coyotes cut into the lead, 9-2.

The ’Cats weren’t fazed and would add four more runs in the eighth inning, securing the series and game four win, 13-2.

The ’Cats changed up their starting lineup over the past week, in hopes of letting new guys help a struggling offense get started.

Neugebauer was one of the new starters and was instrumental in the ’Cats winning the series. He credits the support around him for being ready to step up for the team.

“Just the practices, the coaches, what they do for us. I mean, it’s kind of got me ready for this moment,” Neugebauer said. “They just have me in the right approach right now, telling me what I need to do and what I need not to do.”

Neugebauer noted that playing for his team, and not as an individual, was the biggest takeaway he’s learned from conference play.

“I think our team has learned that trying to play baseball selfishly isn’t going to work and playing as a team is something huge,” Neugebauer said. “Last month, I saw a team kind of buy into what our coaches have been saying, and it just came along so much, and we’ve been scoring runs, been getting hits, so it’s a lot better.”

Walton noted the team’s struggle in conference play, but knew that they had to approach the series without putting extra pressure on themselves.

“I think just playing freely and not having any pressure on ourselves,” Walton said. “We have nothing to lose at this point, just kind of going out there and playing our game of baseball.”

From a player’s perspective, Walton said the team’s offensive struggles stem from a lack of identity.

“Just pressure, I think, with a lot of new guys, all of us are trying to figure out who we are as a team and as an individual,” Walton said. “So that kind of just leads to being pressured in the games throughout the year.”

Assistant and batting coach Neal White saw the team break through its offensive slump by playing better as a team overall. He said it is about working together, trusting the offensive approach, and sticking to it during difficult times. Sometimes it takes a gritty performance at the plate to change the game. The team showed in the series what happens when we get good hits and people on base.

Coach White noted that conference play has presented a big challenge to the ’Cats’ batters.

“You’re going to face good arms that have velocity and get secondary pitches, and sometimes when you get to the pen, there’s soft-throwing lefties that can give you a bit of difficulty, and you get out of your offensive approach,” White said. “I think that’s really what it comes down to, being on time, consistently, being ready to hit with runners in scoring position. I’m sure we’re capable of doing that. We just need to continue that moving forward.”

Coach White noted that in the two weeks off until their next series, they need to work on getting quality practice and rest.

“The big thing is making sure we’re getting quality reps. I think resting ourselves a little bit and getting right mentally and physically is going to help us, but we really just need to stick to a routine the next couple of weeks,” White said. “Offensively, we could’ve done a little bit more. Going into the final three series, we have an opportunity to really continue with the momentum we had today and I think we can do some really special things if we do so.”

The ’Cats continue CCAA conference play in two weeks with another four-game series against  Stanislaus State at Warrior Baseball Field, starting on April 17 at 6 p.m.

For information about all Chico State athletics or to keep up with the game live, visit the Wildcat home page, or watch through FloSports.

Jamison Leung can be reached at [email protected]