The Chico State baseball team was able to overcome a couple of early defensive mistakes in game one to complete the four-game sweep of San Francisco State, winning by scores of 7-5 and 10-0.

They are now 12-4 to start the season.

In game one, the Wildcats got off to a rough start with sloppy defense and poor base running. A dropped fly ball, two throwing errors, and a missed catch allowed San Francisco State to jump out to a 4-0 lead heading into the sixth. However, the Wildcats were able to overcome their early defensive mistakes with a huge rally in the bottom of the eighth. Back to back singles, a walk, three wild pitches, and two more singles led to a 7-4 lead for the Wildcats.

In game two, Alex DeVito went deep in the bottom of the first to give the Wildcats a 2-0 advantage early.

Game two pitcher William Curless also had a strong performance, throwing five strong innings while only giving up three hits and striking out five and letting the Wildcats offense work. Curless was relieved by Christian Stiegele and Kenton Carruthers, who each retired the side to finish off the 10-0 combined shutout.

The real story of the night, however, was the game two performance from sophomore catcher Tyler Stofiel. Stofiel is hitting .318 and currently alternates catching games with senior RJ Hassey, who is hitting .323 on the year.

Hassey has always been a consistent threat at the plate, and as a senior, he is now in a mentoring role often splitting games with Stofiel. The Wildcats are fortunate both catchers are jumping at their opportunities.

Stofiel, who entered the game hitting .250 with no extra base hits on the year, smacked an RBI triple in the bottom of the second to score teammate Casey Henderson. In the fourth inning, Stofiel launched his first career home run as a Wildcat, a solo shot.

Stofiel’s home run was a line shot down the left field line that had the entire Chico State crowd on its feet, praying the ball would stay fair. Fortunately enough, the ball stayed fair just long enough, clinking off the left field foul pole to put the Wildcats up 7-0. They cruised from there, winning 10-0 in a shortened seven inning game.

The Wildcats will play their next game against Cal State Monterey Bay at 2 p.m. on Friday in Seaside.

Austin Schreiber can be reached at [email protected] or @aschreiber94 on Twitter.