TURLOCK – Looking at the stat sheets prior to Friday afternoon’s series opener between Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus, the host Warriors – with their California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) leading 3.08 team ERA – promised to pose quite a test for the Wildcat offense throughout the four game set. The ’Cats hitters were more than up to the challenge in game one, banging out 13 hits on the day, and Chico State showed that it, too, has some talented arms in its arsenal, as Michael Gleason, Ian Waldron and Scott Newberry combined to toss a six-hitter to lead the Wildcats to a 7-0 victory at Warrior Field in Turlock.
The win – Chico State’s second straight and 10th in the last 13 games – pushed the Wildcats’ record to 16-5 overall and 12-5 in the CCAA. The ’Cats sit alone in second place in the conference standings, just two-and-a-half games behind front-running UC San Diego. Cal State Stanislaus dropped to 10-12 on the season and 6-7 in CCAA play.
Chico State broke the seal on Friday’s contest with two runs in the top of the third inning. Both scores were of the gift-wrapped variety – Johnny Hay and Danny Dyer each coaxed bases-loaded walks from Stanislaus starting pitcher Vinny Pacchetti to put the Wildcats up 2-0. Gleason, meanwhile, kept Stanislaus in check, scattering three hits over the first five innings and facing just three batters over the minimum.
The Wildcats took advantage of a two-out fielding error in the top of the sixth inning to extend their lead to 3-0, as Jordan Larson followed the miscue with a single to plate Deven Braden. Chico State went up 5-0 with two runs in the top of the seventh on back-to-back doubles by Hay and Kevin Seaver and an Adrian Bringas RBI single…then in the eighth inning the Wildcats officially iced the game away as Seaver and Hay delivered run-scoring singles to make it a 7-0 contest. After seven shutout innings, Gleason gave way to Waldron, who retired the side in order in the eighth; then Newberry got on the bump and posted the final three outs in the ninth to lock down Chico State’s 7-0 series-opening win.
Gleason (4-0) struck out three in earning the victory; Pacchetti (2-2) took the loss for Stanislaus. Hay finished the day 3-for-4 with three RBI to pace the Wildcat offense, with Larson, Seaver, Bringas and Michael Murphy contributing two hits apiece. Andrew Graves had two of the Warriors’ six hits in the losing effort.
BOX SCORE
Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus meet again Saturday at Warrior Field for a single game starting at noon; follow the action with Mitch Cox calling the play-by-play on ESPN 101.7 and 1340 AM locally, or on the Internet via the Wildcat Athletics website. The series will shift to Nettleton Stadium Sunday for a doubleheader beginning at noon