In Game 2 on Sunday, April 17, the Wildcats were coming out of a loss earlier in the day. Their winning streak was broken, but their determination and teamwork was still there. Runs were at a premium in Game 2, although East Bay pitcher Tatiana Beilstein held the ‘Cats to only one hit in the first three innings.

The Wildcats finally broke with a run in the top of the fourth when senior Brynn Lesovsky led off the inning with a double, advanced to third on an error and came home on a base hit by senior Desiree’ Gonzalez.

The fifth inning held the Pioneers at bay once again. Sophomore Haley Gilham turned them away empty handed each time. In the top of the sixth, Chico State went up 2-0 as junior Cyrena Taylor ripped a two-out double to chase home Gonzalez.

The ‘Cats threw open the game in the top of the seventh. If you blinked you would have missed the six runs they brought home. With two outs, junior Sarah Galaviz tripled to right-center gap and scored when East Bay mishandled first-year Ari Marsh’s grounder.

Chico State went on to load the bases ready for Gonzalez to deliver a three-run double. Taylor and Gilham then followed with RBIs to bring the score to 8-0. Gilham scattered four hits over six shutout innings to earn the win and improve to 15-7 on the season.

The Wildcats play their final regular season series next weekend, hosting San Francisco State at University Softball Field. The four-game set begins with a Friday doubleheader at 1 p.m. followed by a Saturday twin bill at 11 a.m.

Esther Briggs can be contacted at [email protected] or @EstherBriggs191 on Twitter.