Chico State Athletics

CHICO – Evidently Mother Nature wasn’t quite ready for Chico State’s 2010 baseball season to get underway. The Wildcats, attempting to slip in a doubleheader against Simpson University Thursday afternoon at Nettleton Stadium before heavy storms forecasted for later in the day moved in, played three-and-a-half innings of the twinbill’s first game before rain abruptly halted the proceedings. After a 40-minute delay, the game was officially cancelled with no makeup or resumption scheduled. Chico State and Simpson will start from scratch Saturday, and despite another wet day in the forecast, the two teams will attempt to square off for a doubleheader scheduled to start at noon.

What baseball that was played Thursday featured a combined 10 runs and 15 hits in the three-and-a-half innings of action, with Simpson leading 6-4 before the rain ended the contest. Chico State starting pitcher Michael Gleason had a rocky season debut, allowing six runs and seven hits in an inning-and-a-thirds, but relievers Bryn Calhoun and Sheldon Lechuga fared well, combining for two-and-a-third innings of one hit, shutout ball. Offensively, Jordan Larson had two of the Wildcats’ seven hits, with newcomers Johnny Hay and Adrian Bringas each picking up a RBI.

Simpson University got on the board in the top of the first inning when Jared Jordon led off the game with single and eventually scored on an Aarason Perry sacrifice fly. Chico State grabbed the lead in the bottom of the first, taking advantage of two Red Hawks errors to plate three unearned runs. Simpson came back to bat around in the second inning, stringing together five consecutive hits and scoring five times to knock out Gleason and take a 6-3 lead – Perry providing the big blow with a two-out, two-run double following RBI hits by Jordon, Jake Gill and Shane Battles.

The Wildcats trimmed the Red Hawks lead in the bottom of the third, as Adam Arakawa led off the inning with a double and scored on Bringas’ single to center to make it a 6-4 ballgame. Chico State would load the bases with nobody out, but a chance for a big inning went by the wayside as Simpson starter Dustin Stoddard got Travis Kruger to pop out to third, struck out Kyle Leon and retired Jordan Larson on a grounder to second to end the threat.

After Lechuga retired the Red Hawks in order in the top of the fourth, the hard, steady rain forced play to stop, and with the tarp rolled over the field, the day’s action effectively came to an end. Since the game was cancelled and will not be made up, none of the game statistics will be counted.

Saturday’s noon doubleheader will be broadcast live, with Mitch Cox calling the play-by-play, on ESPN 101.7 FM locally and on the Internet via the Wildcat Athletics website.