The Chico State men’s baseball team capped off its regular season with two wins against Stanislaus Saturday.
Chico’s overall record is 28-19, good for third place in the California Collegiate Athletic Conference.
The team’s performance this year has earned them a playoff spot in the CCAA tournament and this weekend’s matchup with Stanislaus gave them one more opportunity to compete and improve before the postseason.
Game one
The first game of the day featured early offense for both teams.
The Wildcats scored first when Dustin Miller singled up the middle to drive in JT Navarro.
Miller then scored off of an Eddie Zavala sacrifice fly which made the score 2-0.
Stanislaus was able to answer in the bottom of the first when Grant Bunker hit a two-run home run to tie the game.
The offenses remained dormant for most of the game until Stanislaus took the lead in the bottom of the eighth.
Vinny Margiotta scored on a fielder’s choice and had Stanislaus in position to close the game out in the top of the ninth.
The Wildcats then had an explosive three-run ninth inning to take a 5-2 lead.
Pitcher Alex Kent came in to close the game out in the bottom of the ninth inning with a pair of strikeouts and a fly out.
Game two
The Wildcats scored quickly in the first inning. Kyle Pineda singled to right field and JT Navarro scored to give Chico a 1-0 lead.
Pitcher Daniel Foret held Stanislaus to zero runs through four innings before Connor Sealey took over and threw two scoreless innings.
The one run ended up being all that the Wildcats needed to win as Alex Kent closed the game out, allowing no runs in the final inning. The win was Chico’s third shutout of the season
The momentum from the back to back wins will certainly help the Wildcats with the playoffs looming close. The CCAA tournament is set to begin Wednesday in Stockton and if Chico does well there, they will have a chance to compete in the NCAA championship tournament that starts May 24.
Matthew Ferreira can be reached at [email protected] or @MattFerreira__ on Twitter.
