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05/12/05
Ramos, Krise, Gonzalez, Burger First Team All-CCAA Meggs earns 5th Coach of the Year honor on eve of Championships WALNUT CREEK, Calif. – Chico State's Joseph Ramos, Greg Gonzalez, Kris Krise, and Nick Burger each earned First Team honors, and Head Coach Lindsay Meggs was named Coach of the Year as the California Collegiate Athletic Association Baseball honors were announced Thursday. Jeff Walker, Tim Thompson, and Chad Nelson earned Second Team recognition, while Cody Smith and Ryan Martin received honorable mention. Chico State, which opens CCAA Championship Tournament play tonight, boasts a CCAA-high nine selections. Cal State San Bernardino has seven, including Player of the Year Aaron Rice. Cal Poly Pomona has seven, including Pitcher of the Year Taylor Wilding. Matthew Hopps of Cal State Dominguez Hills was named the conference Freshman of the Year. The Coach of the Year honor was the fifth in 12 seasons for Meggs, including his third since the Wildcats joined the CCAA. Ramos, a Player of the Year candidate, has hit .457 with 19 RBI over the last month and finished the regular season with a .389 average, good for third in the CCAA. Gonzalez leads the conference with 23 stolen bases, and his .358 batting average ranks 10th. Krise boasts the top winning percentage (8-1) and ERA (1.99) in the conference. Burger leads the conference in saves with 15, the second highest total in the nation. CCAA MOST VALUABLE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: CCAA MOST VALUABLE PITCHER OF THE YEAR: CCAA FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: CCAA COACH OF THE YEAR: ALL-CCAA FIRST TEAM ALL-CCAA SECOND TEAM CCAA BASEBALL HONORABLE MENTION 05/07/05 05/06/05 The Wildcats (35-12-1, 22-11 CCAA) avenged a three-game sweep two weeks ago by the Warriors at home. The Warriors fall to 23-29, 17-19 CCAA. In the eighth, Cody Miller started the rally with a one-out, two-run homer. The Wildcats would score four more times in the inning to cut the deficit to 11-9. Jeff walker had a run-scoring triple in the frame. In the Warrior half of the eighth, R.J. Roach hit a two-run double down the right field line to give Stanislaus some breathing room with a 13-9 lead. Pinch hitter Jonathan Shepard brought the Wildcats within one run in the top of the ninth with a three-run homer to make the score 13-12. Joseph Ramos knotted the game with an RBI-single and Ryan Martin drove in the go-ahead run and one more run would score on an error by the catcher. To add insult to injury, Chico State's Cody Smith hit another homer, this time a three-run shot to give the Wildcats an 18-13 lead. The Wildcats managed 13 hits in the final two frames and outhit the Warriors 19-16 in the game. The Warriors stranded ten runners to the 'Cats eight. Smith and Jorge Araiza each had three hits for the Wildcat Robert Anaya earned the win in relief to improve to 8-0 on the year. He pitched 1.1 innings, allowing just one hit and striking out three. Jason Peters was charged with the loss in relief of Marshall Beyer to drop to 2-6 on the year. Beyer pitched the first 7 2/3 innings allowing nine runs, seven earned, on 10 hits. The three-game set concludes with a doubleheader tomorrow to close out the regular season. 05/03/05 Joining Chico State in the four-team tournament that will determine the 2005 CCAA Champion is Cal Poly Pomona (27-20, 23-13 CCAA). The Broncos qualified for the tournament for the first time since 2000 with a four-game series sweep at Cal State Stanislaus last weekend. Stanislaus (23-28, 17-18 CCAA) is still mathematically alive for one of the two remaining tournament berths, but trails Cal State San Bernardino (23-19, 20-15 CCAA), UC San Diego (28-19, 22-17 CCAA) and Sonoma State (24-28, 18-17 CCAA) entering the final week of play. The double-elimination tournament will begin with the opening game at 3 p.m. Thursday. Chico State will play the evening game at 7 p.m. regardless of seeding. Pairings will be determined following the end of the regular season this weekend. Daily ticket prices for the three-day event are $6 regular fare, and $3 for senior citizens, persons under 18 and college students with valid identification. 2005 CCAA BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE 05/01/05 Chico State led 6-4 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning before Cal State Dominguez Hills scored five runs to go up 9-6. The Wildcats scored twice in the eighth inning and once in the ninth to tie the game at 9, setting up Montes' heroics. The Wildcats (34-12-1, 21-11) got a pair of solo home runs and a double from Jonathan Shepard. Greg Gonzalez was 4-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs, and Chad Nelson had three hits. Jeff Walker had a pair of hits for Chico State, which tallied 18 hits but stranded 10 runners. 04/30/05 Chad Williams had four hits to lead the Wildcats' first-game attack, and Jeff Walker, Ryan Martin and Jon Shepard each had three. Martin homered and drove in three runs, and the Wildcats (34-11-1, 21-10 CCAA) collected seven runs in the fourth inning and eight in the eighth. Walker, Williams, Greg Gonzales and Trevor Weedon each had two RBIs. Eric Giacone pitched 1 2/3 innings for his first win and Nick Bryant earned his second save. Robert Anaya (7-0) pitched a scoreless sixth for the win in the second game after Jorge Araiza gave the Wildcats a 2-0 lead with a two-run double in the second inning. Gonzales had three hits and Joseph Ramos added a pair of hits, and Nick Burger pitched the seventh for the save (14). 04/29/05 Jeff Walker smacked his first home run of the year to lead off the ninth for the Wildcats (32-11-1, 19-10 CCAA), and Chad Williams hit a two-run home run to drive in Ryan Martin, who walked. Nick Bryant (2-3) pitched the eighth inning and got the win for Chico State and Burger hurled a perfect ninth to secure the win. Chad Nelson went 2-for-3 with two RBIs for Chico State, and Jonathan Shepard and Jeff Mayberry had two hits apiece. 04/27/05 Earlier in the day, Chico State, ranked No. 12 in the nation, learned it is ranked No. 2 in the first Western Region poll of the season. Mesa State is ranked ahead of the Wildcats, who are followed by Western Oregon and New Mexico Highlands. The top four teams in the region will earn a spot in the NCAA Division II Championship Tournament West Regional. Chico State's sweep of the two-game set against Biola will no doubt help the Wildcats in their quest for one of those spots. Greg Gonzalez, Joseph Ramos, Cody Smith, and Ryan Martin each drove in a run for the Wildcats, who led 3-0 after three frames and 4-1 after the sixth. Biola did pose a slight threat in the ninth after leadoff hitter Andy Kroeker reached on right fielders Chad Williams' error. Blake Whiteman's one-out single made it 4-2 and brought the tying run to the plate. But Burger struck out Richard Fixsen and got David Mirabal to fly out to end the game. The save was the 26th of Burger's career drawing him to within five of the NCAA Division II career saves record of 31, currently held by Jimmy Hoog of Eckerd College (1986-89). Chico State will now hit the road for its last seven games of the regular season. They face Cal State Dominguez Hills in a four-game series beginning Friday at 2 p.m. 04/26/05 Chico State, the 12th-ranked NCAA Division II team in the nation, improved to 30-11-1. Biola, ranked No. 7 in the NAIA, dipped to 38-9-1. Kevin Bixler earned the win in relief for Chico State, improving to 1-0. Sal Poti (0-1) took the loss for Biola. The teams will play a single game Wednesday at 2 p.m. to wrap up their two-game set. Neither starter proved very effective, but Biola held a 5-2 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth. But Biola starter Jonathan Young surrendered consecutive base hits and then walked Trevor Weedon to load the bases. Poti was called in to get the Eagles out of the jam, but Gonzalez hammered the first pitch he saw for a three-run double to left-center field to tie the game. Biola responded in the fifth with three runs of its own, but the Eagles defense gave back the runs, plus one more, in the bottom-half of the frame. Cody Smith reached on a throwing error by shortstop David Mirabal to start the inning. After Chad Williams reached on a fielders choice, Chad Nelson and Trevor Weedon singled, with Williams scoring on Weedon's hit that extended his hitting streak to 10 games. Jeff Walker later coaxed a two-out walk to load the bases for Martin, who hit a soaring fly ball to the warning track. Wright misplayed the ball and it bounced up against the wall as all three runs came around to score, giving the Wildcats a 9-8 lead. Bixler, Ben Buker, and Nick Burger shut out Biola from there as Burger earned his 11th save of the season. Biola did threaten the lead against Buker in eighth. With runners on first and second and no one out, the Eagles gambled with a hit-and-run. Mirabal hit a sizzling liner that Martin dove to his right to snag. He then tagged first and threw to shortstop Chad Nelson at second for the triple play. It was Chico State's second triple play in less than two weeks. On April 15 the Wildcats turned a trifecta against Grand Canyon. 04/23/05 No team had scored more than five runs in a game this season at Chico State. But the Warriors accomplished that feet twice Saturday to improve to 23-24 overall and 17-14 in CCAA action. Stanislaus trails Cal State San Bernardino by one game in the race for the fourth CCAA Championship Tournament slot. The host Wildcats fell to 29-11-1 overall and 18-10 in the CCAA and hold a one-game lead over Cal Poly Pomona and UC San Diego for the best record in the conference. Chico State was 27-3 against Cal State Stanislaus at the Nett over the past nine season. But Stanislaus matched its nine-year total in one weekend thanks to a strong effort from its bullpen. The Warriors' bullpen limited Chico State to just two runs in nine innings as the team came from behind to win both games Saturday. Jason Peters picked up his first two saves of the season in the process. Chico State took a 4-3 lead in the opener thanks to a run-scoring single off the bat of Trevor Weedon and a two-run double by Jeff Mayberry. But Stanislaus tied the game on Jaren Livernois' RBI single and then took the lead for good in the fourth on Pete Hernandez's RBI singe. Meanwhile, Jeremy Hickman provided six-plus innings of one-run relief to earn the victory and improve to 3-2. Gilberto Hernandez (1-3) took the loss for Chico State. He lasted just three-plus innings and gave up five runs – three of them earned – on nine hits. In the nightcap, the host Wildcats held a 3-2 advantage entering the sixth frame. Stanislaus rallied for four runs against starter Reid Horton and relievers Nick Burger and Robert Anaya, however. Burger (0-1) took the loss for his first blown save in his last 20 chances. Chris LeBouf's two-run, pinch-hit single was the key at-bat in the inning. Stanislaus starter Marquis Fleming (3-3) went five frames to earn the win. The two lone bright spots for Chico State were Trevor Weedon, who extended his hitting streak to 10 games, and Jeff Walker, who became just the eighth Chico State player ever to record 100 RBI with his seventh-inning single in the nightcap. Chico State is back in action at home Tuesday when it opens a two-game non-conference set against visiting Biola at 6 p.m. 04/22/05 The Warriors (21-24, 15-14 CCAA) are just the second sub-.500 team to beat the Wildcats at The Nett in the past two years. Chico State, which entered the weekend ranked No. 5 in the nation, dips to 29-9-1 overall and 18-8 in the CCAA. Chico State led for much of the early going behind the pitching of starter Tim Thompson, who allowed just one run on four hits in six-plus innings. That run came in the second frame when Jason Durbin hit a one-out double, moved to third on Jeff Bellotti's base hit, and scored on Joel Salvatierra's sacrifice bunt. But Chico State answered with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the frame thanks to RBI-doubles from Chad Nelson and Trevor Weedon.The Wildcats offense sputtered after the second, however, mustering just three more hits against Beyer and Peters. Stanislaus took the lead for good in the seventh when Jeff Walker's error on a ground ball opened the gates. Pete Hernandez sacrificed Jason Louis to second and Jeren Livernois tripled home the tying run against Wildcats reliever Nick Bryant (1-3), who would eventually take the loss. After Stanislaus loaded the bases, pinch hitter Chris LeBouef hit a two-run single against Nick Burger to make it a 4-2 Stanislaus lead. The Warriors added an insurance run in the ninth on Durbin's RBI double to wrap up the scoring. Peters earned the win for the Warriors to improve to 2-4. He allowed just one hit in two-plus innings of work. Cal State Stanislaus now trails Cal State San Bernardino by two games in the race for the fourth spot in the CCAA Championship Tournament. The same teams are scheduled to play at doubleheader Saturday at noon. 04/17/05 Joseph Ramos went 4-for-5 with three RBI and Jeff Mayberry drove in a pair of runs to help make a winner out of Wildcats starter Nick Bryant (1-2). In six innings of work, Bryant allowed only two unearned runs on five hits while striking out seven. With the victory, their fifth straight, the Wildcats improved to 29-8-1. Grand Canyon fell to 22-18. Chico State broke the game open early off Antelopes starter Josiah Zeigler, who took the loss to fall to 0-2. Ramos' RBI-single with the bases loaded staked Chico State to a 1-0 lead in the first. The Wildcats added five more runs in the second. Chad Williams, Walker, Ramos, Mayberry, and Cody Smith each drove in a run in the frame to make it 6-0. Zeigler faced the inning's first three batters before being pulled and was charged with four earned runs on five hits in one inning. Brad Bettcher was charged with the inning's other two runs. Grand Canyon got on the board in the third as Cody Johns' double plated Andy Lane, who had reached on a fielding error. But Chico State answered with a run of its own in the bottom half of the frame when Ramos singled home Trevor Weedon. Mayberry and Weedon each knocked in a run in the sixth to wrap up Chico State's scoring. Grand Canyon plated a run in the sixth and another in the ninth. Matt Henne's sixth-inning grounder plated Johns, and Ryan Bristow scored before Branden Ishikawa was tagged out after getting caught in a rundown with two down in the ninth. Johns and Matt Henne led Grand Canyon with two hits apiece, and the Antelopes got some desperately needed pitching relief when Kyle Holtorf came on to pitch the final five-plus innings. He allowed two earned runs on six hits while striking out three. Chico State is back home next Friday to start a three-game series with Cal State Stanislaus at 6 p.m. 04/16/05 Chico State is now 28-8-1 on the season, including 21-3 at home. The Wildcats have allowed three runs or fewer in 28 of 38 contests. Grand Canyon dropped to 22-17. The teams will wrap up their four-game series with a single game Sunday at noon. Jeff Walker, who entered the afternoon needing two hits to become Chico State's all-time leader in hits, singled to tie the record in the fifth inning of Game One. It was the 196th hit of Walker's career, matching the totals of Kevin Miller, who played at Chico State from 1987-90. He finished the opener 1-for-3. In the second game, Walker was asked to sacrifice bunt in his first two plate appearances and finished hitless in one official at-bat. In Saturday's opener, the pitching of starter Gilberto Hernandez and a three-run homer off the bat of Ryan Martin gave Chico State a 4-0 cushion through five innings. Hernandez, who had allowed only one hit through five frames, ran into trouble in the sixth. He eventually surrendered three runs on five hits, but earned his first win of the season. Robert Anaya and Nick Bryant combined for two-plus innings of work, and Burger struck out two in the ninth to collect his ninth save. Joseph Ramos went 3-for-4 at the plate for the Wildcats. Sean Gallian took the loss in a complete-game effort for Grand Canyon to fall to 6-3. He allowed six runs – five of them earned – on 10 hits and a pair of walks. Craig Daniel and Brian Smith notched two hits apiece to lead the Antelopes offense. In Game Two, Horton's scoreless innings streak ended at 24.2 innings when Daniel plated Matt Henne with a sacrifice fly with two down in the fourth inning. Ryan Bethel followed with an RBI single to draw the Antelopes to within a run at 3-2. But Horton settled down from there and Burger pitched the seventh for another save. Jorge Araiza staked the Wildcats to a 1-0 lead when his sacrifice fly plated Cody Smith in the second frame. Greg Gonzalez notched an RBI single in the third to extend his hitting streak to nine games, and Joseph Ramos lifted a sacrifice fly to stretch the lead to 3-0. Martin doubled in the second inning to extend his hitting streak to nine games. 04/15/05 Nursing a 6-2 lead with the bases loaded and no one out in the fifth inning, Wildcats starter Tim Thompson coaxed a soft liner to second baseman Jeff Walker off the bat of Grand Canyon's Andy Lane. Walker made the catch, stepped on second base to double-up Craig Daniel, and then threw to first in an effort to get Ryan Bethel. The ball hit Bethel, however, and Grand Canyon catcher Branden Ishikawa took off from third in an effort to score. Wildcats first baseman Ryan Martin quickly ran down the ball and threw home where Trevor Weedon tagged out Ishikawa to complete the Wildcats' first triple play in recent memory. Martin, meanwhile had an even better day with the bat. He blasted a grand slam in the first inning, a two-run homer in the third, and finished with seven RBI to lead the Wildcats to their highest scoring output of the season. The seven RBI are the most by a Chico State player since March 2, 1999 when Kirk Mayer drove in seven against Simpson College. It was the first multi-homer game by a Wildcat since Steve Newson hit a pair on April 6, 2003. Weedon added a two-run shot in the sixth and Jay Hyland also drove in two runs for the Wildcats. Chico State, ranked No. 6 in the nation, improved to 26-8-1. Grand Canyon dipped to 22-15. Thompson earned the win for Chico State to improve to 6-1. He scattered 12 hits in eight innings, allowing three earned runs in the process. Ben Buker pitched the ninth in his first action since March 5 due to an arm injury. Scott Welch (6-5) took the loss for Grand Canyon. The Antelopes' ace had a rough night, surrendering nine earned runs on nine hits and four walks in five frames. Four Grand Canyon relievers also scuffled, giving up seven more runs on eight hits in three innings of work. The same teams will play a doubleheader Saturday at noon and wrap up their series with a single game Sunday at noon. 04/11/05 Horton, a junior from Tustin, went 2-0 against Oregon Tech and UC San Diego, allowing no runs on 7 hits and 3 walks while striking out 10 over 11 innings. He increased his consecutive scoreless innings streak to 20 and has a season earned run average of 0.65 over 11 appearances. In an 8-0 win over Oregon Tech (Apr. 5), Horton threw 6 shutout innings, surrendering just 5 hits and a walk. He struck out 8. Five days later, Horton allowed only 2 hits, both singles, walked 2 and struck out 2 over 5 innings to earn the win in the Wildcats’ 7-1 triumph over UCSD. 04/10/05 The 17th-ranked Tritons became the first team this season to earn two victories at Nettleton Stadium and improved to 22-12 overall and 16-11 in CCAA action. Chico State, ranked No. 5 in the nation entering the weekend, is now 25-8-1 overall and 18-7 in the CCAA. Horton (2-0) has not allowed a run in his last four appearances, spanning 20 innings. Sunday he allowed just two hits, one an infield single and the other a bloop single, in five innings of work. Nevertheless, Chico State was clinging to a 1-0 lead until Hyland hit the first pitch he saw from reliever Shlomo Lipetz deep over the right-field wall for his second home run of the season and the 10th of his career. Jorge Araiza then followed Ryan Martin's single with a home run off the left field foul pole to give the Wildcats a 5-0 advantage that was never seriously threatened. Jose Navarro (2-3) took the loss for UC San Diego. He allowed three runs and seven hits in four-plus innings of work. As was the case Saturday, shoddy fielding cost Chico State dearly in the opener. Nursing a 4-2 lead in the sixth, Wildcats outfielders Cody Smith and Greg Gonzalez let a Brian Robinson's very catchable fly ball fall right between them for a two-run double that tied the game. Gascon gave UC San Diego the lead for good with a two-out single through the left side that plated Ricky Pinocchio. UC San Diego relievers Ryan Leake and Lipetz held Chico State scoreless over the last four innings to seal the win. Leake picked up the win to improve to 4-2, while Lipetz earned his sixth save. Pinocchio finished 3-for-3 for UC San Diego, while Robinson and Morehead drove in two runs apiece. Gonzalez led Chico State's offense with a 3-for-5 performance. Martin and Joseph Ramos notched two hits apiece. Wildcats starter Gilberto Hernandez gave up just two runs in five innings. Nick Bryant took the loss to fall to 0-2 despite striking out six in four frames. Chico State is back in action at home for a four-game nonconference series with Grand Canyon beginning with a single game Friday at 6 p.m. 04/09/05 Of the day's 23 runs, 14 were unearned. Ten different Chico State players committed errors. But the Wildcats earned the split thanks to Tim Thompson's six strong innings of work and clutch hitting. Thompson (5-1) scattered seven hits in six innings while striking out five. Meanwhile, Ryan Martin, Cody Smith, and Chad Williams drove in two runs apiece for the Wildcats, who hit .533 (8-for-15) with runners in scoring position. Chico State is now 24-7-1 overall and 17-6 in CCAA action. UC San Diego is 21-11 overall and 16-9 in the CCAA. The teams will wrap up their four-game series Sunday with a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. In a matchup of two of the CCAA's top pitchers, UC San Diego's Logan Boutilier got the best of Wildcats starter Kris Krise in the opener. Boutilier allowed three runs, two of them earned, in six-plus innings of work to improve to 8-1. Krise (8-1) gave up five runs, only one of which was earned, and was saddled with his first loss of the season. Shlomo Lipetz fired two-plus scoreless innings to earn his fifth save for the Tritons. UC San Diego led 1-0 on David Gomez's RBI-single before three Chico State errors spanning the fifth and six frames helped lead to four more Triton runs and a 5-1 UC San Diego lead. Joel Clark and Matt Lawson had run-scoring hits during the fray. Chico State cut the advantage to 5-3 with Ryan Martin's run-scoring single in the sixth and Jeff Walker's RBI-grounder in the seventh. But Lipetz struck out Jonathan Shepard, the potential tying run, to end the game. In the nightcap, Chico State took advantage of two UC San Diego errors to score five runs in the second inning for a 5-1 lead. Williams delivered the inning's big blow with a two-run single. Chico State added four runs in the fourth and three more in the eighth to seal the win. 04/08/05 04/06/05 Bess (1-1) walked two and struck out four in just his second appearance of the season, both of the starts. Nick Bryant, Eric Giacone, and Nick Burger finished the game. The Hustlin' Owls only run was unearned against Giacone in the eighth. The Wildcats improved to 23-6-1 with the victory. Starter Brad Bailey (2-3) took the loss for Oregon Tech, now 10-15. He allowed five runs on five hits and three walks in two innings of work. Four Oregon Tech errors also led to a pair of Chico State runs. Joseph Ramos' RBI single in the first got Chico State on the board and Greg Gonzalez's run on a double-play grounder made it 2-0. The Wildcats added to their lead with three more runs in the second. Justin Jacque's RBI grounder plated Jorge Araiza, and Ramos drove home Ryan Martin and Gonzalez with a single to left field for a 5-0 advantage. Two more runs in the third and anther in the fourth made it 8-0. Ryan Martin and Cody Smith each drove in a run, and Smith scored on a wild pitch. Jay Hyland's towering two-run homer in the seventh wrapped up the scoring for the Wildcats. Oregon Tech plated its only run of the day when Ryan Garrett led off the inning with a single, moved all the way to third on a throwing error, and later scored on Trevor Mauch's ground ball. Chico State is back in action at home for a four-game series with 17th-ranked UC San Diego beginning with a single game Friday at 6 p.m. 04/05/05 Zack Height notched three hits and two RBI and Jorge Araiza drove in three runs for the Wildcats, who improved to 22-6-1 on the season. Oregon Tech fell to 10-14. Casey Campbell (0-1) took the loss for the visiting Hustlin’ Owls. He allowed three runs, two of them earned, in two innings of work. Chico State took advantage of a pair of Oregon Tech errors to plate three runs in the first. Jeff Walker led off the game with a single, and Joseph Ramos, Ryan Simpson, and Araiza eventually drove in runs in the frame. The Wildcats plate three more runs in the third as Araiza ripped a two-run triple and later scored on Ryan Martin’s base hit. Height’s two-run double in the fourth wrapped up the scoring. The same teams will square off Wednesday at noon. Chico State, ranked No. 5 in the nation, will get back into CCAA action this weekend when it hosts 17th-ranked UC San Diego for a four-game series beginning Friday at 6 p.m. 04/02/05 Behind the pitching of Derrick Loop and an unearned run in the top of the seventh, Cal State L.A. was clinging to a 2-1 lead. Loop quickly retired the first two batters of the frame and the Golden Eagles were one out away from snapping their six-game losing streak. But Chico State's Jeff Walker roped a two-out triple to keep the Wildcats' hopes alive, and Loop was pulled from the game after walking Greg Gonzalez. Golden Eagles reliever Philip Springman couldn't quell the rally, walking Joseph Ramos and then surrendering Smith's game-winning hit. Chico State improved to 21-6-1 overall and 16-5 in the CCAA with Saturday's two wins. The Wildcats have now won 14-of-15 at Nettleton Stadium this season. Cal State L.A. dropped to 8-15 overall and 5-14 in the CCAA. The same teams will wrap up their four-game set with the series finale Sunday at 11 a.m. Smith finished the nightcap 3-for-3 with the two RBI and a double. Walker went 2-for-4. But it was the pitching of starter Gilberto Hernandez and reliever Robert Anaya that kept Chico State close. Hernandez allowed just one run and three hits in five-plus innings of work. Anaya, who earned the win to improve to 6-0, allowed one unearned run in the final two innings. Biggs product Mateo Marquez led the Cal State L.A. offense with two hits, a double, and a stolen base. Loop (1-6) scattered five hits in six-plus innings and was charged with three earned runs. In Saturday's first game, Chad Williams knocked in what proved to be the winning run for Chico State in the fifth inning. He and Joseph Ramos had RBIs for the Wildcats, who mustered only six hits against Cal State L.A. starter Cody Wilkinson, who went the distance. Chico State starter Tim Thompson was equally effective, however, allowing just two runs, one of them earned, in seven innings of work. He improved to 4-1 with the win. Nick Bryant tossed a perfect eighth inning for Chico State, and then Nick Burger struck out two batters in a hitless ninth frame to earn his eighth save of the season. Marquez again finished 2-for-3 to pace the Cal State L.A. offense. 04/01/05 With Cal State L.A. leading 3-2 with two out in the fifth frame, Ramos appeared to be tagged out easily on an attempted steal of second base. Cal State L.A. assumed as much, and shortstop Joey Molina flipped the ball toward the pitcher's mound thinking the inning was over. But only at that point did the base umpire make a signal. Much to the surprise of the Cal State L.A. players who had already started jogging toward the dugout, Ramos was ruled safe. Seeing the Golden Eagles out of position, Ramos took off for third. Cal State L.A. first baseman Matt Winkelman raced to pick up the ball near the mound, but his throw to third was low and got away, allowing Ramos to come all the way around to score and tie the game. Chico State then broke the game open with five runs in the seventh and improved to 19-6-1 overall and 14-5 in the CCAA with their 12th victory in 13 home games this season. Cal State L.A. fell to 8-13 overall and 5-12 in the CCAA. The game marked the return to Chico State for longtime pitching coach Dave Taylor, who took over as the head coach at Cal State L.A. this season. Taylor's team seemed up for the challenge early on, building a 3-1 lead behind the pitching of starter Brandon Higelin. But errors eventually cost Cal State L.A. the lead. Ramos then knocked Higelin out of the game with a two-run single in the seventh. The Wildcats added three more runs in the inning to put the game away. Higelin, now 3-3 took the loss. Robert Anaya (5-0) picked up the win in relief for the Wildcats. Games two and three of the four-game series will take place Saturday. The doubleheader is scheduled to begin at noon. 03/26/05 Ryan Martin clubbed a two-run homer and Chad Nelson blasted a solo shot to help make a winner out of Tim Thompson in Chico State's game one victory. Thompson (3-1) allowed just two runs, one of them earned, in six innings of work. Jeff Walker, Joseph Ramos, and Nelson, finished with two hits apiece for Chico State. Chico State's offense was almost non-existent in the nightcap, however. Sonoma State starter Christopher Herrera limited the Wildcats to just three hits in seven shutout innings. Making his first start at Chico State, Reid Horton matched Herrera's performance by shutting out the Seawolves through six frames. Wildcats reliever Nick Bryant (L, 0-1) issued a one-out walk to Zack Pace in the bottom of the seventh, however, and Pace stole second with two outs. Robert Anaya was brought on to face Colton Daines, who singled home the winning run. Chico State, which has won 13 of its last 15 games, improved to 18-6-1 by taking two-of-three over the weekend. The Wildcats, 14-5 in CCAA action, moved up one spot to No. 6 in Monday's most recent national poll. Sonoma State is now 13-15 overall and 10-11 in CCAA play. 03/25/05 The win improves Chico State to 17-5-1 overall and 12-4 in the CCAA. Sonoma State drops to 12-14, 9-10 conference It didn't take the Wildcats long to strike, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning on a Ryan Martin two-run double to score Greg Gonzalez and Joseph Ramos, leaving the Seawolves playing catch up the remainder of the game. Chico tagged on three more runs in the top of the fourth to make it 5-0 thanks to an RBI single by Chad Williams and a two-run double by Jeff Walker. Krise (W, 8-0) proved to be nearly unhittable in his first three innings, allowing just one Seawolves' hit. In the fourth inning the Wildcats would strike again, scoring three runs on two hits but Sonoma State countered in the bottom of the inning with three runs of their own coming off a Mike Bidwell homerun. The rest of the game remained scoreless. Martin and Gonzales each had three hits for the 'Cats and Walker ended the game with two hits. The two teams play a doubleheader tomorrow beginning at 11 a.m. 03/21/05 Logue, a senior lefthander from Colorado Springs, earned his first win of the season with seven strong innings of relief pitching to lift the Wildcats to a 10-2 win over Cal State San Bernardino (Mar. 20). He entered the game in the third inning with the bases loaded and no out and the game tied at 1-1. Logue struck out the first CSUSB hitter he faced, then threw a double-play ball to end the inning. He went on to face just two batters over the minimum through the next five innings. He allowed one run on seven hits, walked one and struck out one over seven innings. 03/20/05 Neal Logue came out of the bullpen to pitch the Wildcats out of a bases-loaded jam with no outs in the third inning and went on to allow just one run in seven innings of relief as Chico State won the opening game. True freshman Ryan Simpson then delivered the day's biggest hit in the nightcap with a game-winning, three-run, pinch-hit double. Chico State, which won the first game of the series 9-2 Friday night, improved to 16-5-1 overall and 11-4 in the CCAA with the series sweep. The Wildcats entered the weekend ranked No. 7 in the nation. Cal State San Bernardino fell to 12-9 overall and 9-7 in CCAA action. With the score knotted 1-1 in the third inning of game one, Logue was called in to get the Wildcats out of a bases-loaded jam with no outs. He responded by striking out Mario Mancha and getting Rego Nieto to ground into an inning-ending double play. He followed up that effort with five straight scoreless innings before allowing one run in the ninth to collect his first win of the season. Meanwhile, Chico State's offense exploded five runs in the sixth and four more in the seventh. With two out and two runners on, Simpson drew a pinch-hit walk to load the bases. Another pinch hitter, Cody Smith, was then hit by a pitch to force home a run and give the Wildcats a 2-1 advantage. After another run scored on a passed ball, Chad Nelson tripled home Smith and Simpson. Nelson eventually scored on another passed ball to give Chico State a 6-1 cushion. Joseph Ramos's two-run triple keyed the four-run seventh and the Wildcats won with ease. Ramos finished the game 3-for-4 with a pair of triples. Abel Casenova went 3-for-4 to pace the Coyotes offense. Starter Eric Foor (3-2) took the loss. He surrendered three runs, two of them earned, and four hits in five-plus frames. In the nightcap, Wildcats starter Gilberto Hernandez kept them close by allowing three runs, two of them earned, on five hits, in five innings of work. But Chico State was scuffling against San Bernardino starter James Sinkes and trailed 3-0 entering the bottom of the fifth. That's when Chico State's offense finally broke through. Chad Williams led off the inning with a bunt single, Jeff Walker followed with a single to center field, and Greg Gonzalez walked to load the bases. When San Bernardino brought in lefty Rylan Hanks out of the bullpen, Smith pinch hit and was hit by a pitch to force home a run. Simpson was then called upon to pinch hit, and he responded by blasting a shot to the warning track that gave Chico State the lead for good. Simpson is now 6-fo-9 on the season with 10 RBI. Robert Anaya (4-0) earned the win in relief by tossing one scoreless inning and striking out a pair. Nick Burger collected his sixth save of the season by tossing a perfect seventh. Hanks (0-1) took the loss for Cal State San Bernardino. Aaron Rice's two-run homer in the fifth was the lone offensive highlight for the Coyotes. 03/12/05 In the opener, the game was scoreless through six innings before the Gators struck in the top of the seventh. AJ Biama blasted a two-out, two-run single to bring in Aaron Garcia, who led off the frame with a single and Christopher Watters, who reached on an intentional walk. San Francisco (7-16, 3-10 CCAA) tagged on a solo run in the eighth when Bryan Moore led off the inning with a triple and Andreas Madsen drove him in with a single. The Wildcats (13-5-1, 8-4 CAA) avoided the shutout with a solo run in the eighth on a two-out RBI-triple by Jonathan Shepard. Gator starter Chris Brown (W, 2-2) went the distance, giving up one run on six hits and striking out four. Tim Thompson (L, 2-1) recorded the loss, allowing all three runs on four hits with five strikeouts. In game two, Chico State rallied for four runs in the bottom of the first thanks to a two-run single by Ryan Martin that was missed played by the Gators right fielder and allowed two more runs to cross the plate. Chico added solo runs in three of the next four innings. Greg Gonzales drove in the run in the second on a sacrifice fly and the run in the fourth on a base hit up the middle. Starter Nick Bryant left the game after three scoreless innings with an injury and Robert Anaya (W, 3-0) came on to pick up the win. Anaya pitched three innings, giving up one run on two hits. Drew Bernier (L, 0-1) took the loss for San Francisco State. 03/11/05 Krise didn't have his best stuff, but it was good enough to run his record to 6-0 on the year. He allowed five hits and two earned runs over six innings of work, walking two and striking out two. The Wildcats jumped on Gator starter Roberto Torres for a pair of runs in the first inning on a leadoff double by Greg Gonzalez, a run-scoring single by Smith and a RBI double from Joseph Ramos. The Gators cut the lead in half with a run in the second, then tied things up at 2-2 with an unearned run in the fourth. San Francisco State took its first lead with a run in the fifth on a walk, a single and a sacrifice fly by Carlos Medina. But Chico came back with two of their own in the bottom of the inning, highlighted by Smith's RBI double down the right field line. Neal Logue pitched a perfect three innings of relief, striking out four to earn his first save of the season. The Wildcats and Gators will conclude their three game series tomorrow with a doubleheader beginning at 12 noon. 03/06/05 The win was the Wildcats' sixth straight, all at home, and improves their record to 11-4-1 overall, 6-3 in CCAA play. Sonoma evens its record at 10-10 overall, 7-6 in conference. The Wildcats took a 4-2 lead into the final inning, but Sonoma second baseman greeted Chico closer Nick Burger with a lead-off homer to cut into the deficit. Burger recorded the next two outs then gave up a hit to Zack Pace before recording the final out of the game on a grounder to third, to pick up his team-high fifth save. Chico put three runs on the board in the bottom of the third on five hits, including four-straight two-out singles. Jeff Walker, Cody Smith, and Joseph Ramos each drove in a run. Smith and Ramos each had three hits in the game. The Wildcats added another run in the fourth on a lead-off double by right fielder Chad Williams who came around to score on a one-out hit by catcher Trevor Weedon. Sonoma did all its scoring courtesy of the long ball. In the top of the fifth, Mike Bidwell hit a two-run homer to left field to bring in Pace, who lead off the inning with a walk, and cut the lead to 4-2. Bidwell and Colton Daines each had three hits for the Seawolves. Starter Tim Thompson (W 2-0) picked up the win, giving up two runs on seven hits in 6.2 innings. He struck out one and walked two. Zach Blatteis (L 1-1) gave up four runs on eight hits in three innings of work. William Krout came on to pitch five scoreless innings, allowing five hits and recording two strikeouts. 03/05/05 Sonoma State, on the other hand, had homered 21 times entering Saturday's action. But four Chico State pitchers limited the Seawolves to 11 hits on the day. Chico State improved to 10-4-1 on the season and 5-3 in the CCAA, while Sonoma State dipped to 10-9 overall and 7-5 in conference action. Chico State has now won 42 of its last 50 home games. Chico State got a solo home run from Ramos and a three-run homer from Nelson in the third inning of the opening game to break open a close game and give the Wildcats a 7-2 lead. That was more than enough of a lead for starter Kris Krise, who earned the win to improve to 5-0. He allowed just three hits while striking out seven in eight innings of work. In the nightcap, the Wildcats took a 2-0 lead on Smith's two-run homer in the first and led throughout. Ben Buker earned the victory to improve to 2-1. He scattered five hits in six innings while striking out three. The Wildcats and Seawolves will wrap up their three-game series with a single game Sunday at noon. 03/02/05 Florida Southern (15-0) is atop the rankings. Joining Chico among the West Region squads in the rankings are No. 10 Grand Canyon (8-2), No. 12 Mesa State (9-3), and No. 19 UC San Diego (7-2). Chico State, 8-4-1 overall, is back in action at home this weekend when it hosts rival Sonoma State for a three-game series. It kicks off Friday at 6 p.m. and wraps up with a doubleheader Saturday at noon. 02/27/05 Western Oregon, now 7-3, entered the weekend unbeaten. But the Wolves were held to three runs for the third straight game. Three Wolves errors, meanwhile, led to three unearned runs for Chico State. Buker earned his first victory of the season by allowing just two hits in five innings of work, including a 30-minute rain delay. The transfer from Sierra Community College walked two and struck out four. He retired 12 of the last 13 batters he faced. Already leading 2-0, the Wildcats broke the game open in the fifth when Joseph Ramos and Height notched RBI-singles and Walker scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-0. The Wildcats added another run in the sixth and four more in the seventh to cushion their lead. Chico State is back in CCAA action next weekend when it hosts rival Sonoma State for a three-game series beginning Friday night at 6 p.m. Saturday's doubleheader will start at noon. 02/26/05 Chico State improved to 7-4-1 overall with the sweep, while handing the Wolves (7-2) their first two losses of the season. The teams wrap up their weekend series with a single game Sunday at noon. Kris Krise (4-0) earned the victory in the opener for the Wildcats. Entering the game having allowed just one earned run in 21 innings of work, Krise worked his way out of trouble on numerous occasions. He scattered 10 hits in seven innings of work while allowing three runs, two of them earned, and one walk. Nick Bryant pitched the final two innings to earn his first collegiate save. Jeff Walker led the offensive effort with two hits and three RBI. Joseph Ramos, Chad Williams, Trevor Weedon, and Jesus Bravo notched two hits apiece and handed Western Oregon starter Nick Waetcher (2-1) his first loss of the season. In the nightcap, Chico State’s Tim Thompson earned a win in his first start as a Wildcat. He allowed two runs on five hits in four-plus innings. Neal Logue and Nick Burger shut the Wolves out from there, with Burger collecting his fourth save of the season. Simpson came to the plate with the bases loaded in his first collegiate at bat and proceeded to drive the first pitch he saw to the left-center field gap to plate three runs. He added a sacrifice fly in his next at-bat. Greg Gonzalez finished with two hits for the Wildcats, and Cody Smith went 1-for-3 with a run and an RBI to cap a three-RBI day. 02/20/05 02/16/05 02/12/05 The Wildcats rallied for a 6-5 victory in Friday’s series opener. Jeff Walker’s sacrifice fly in the eighth inning proved to be the game-winning run. Nick Burger pitched the ninth for his second save of the season and 16th of his career, which ties the Chico State career saves record. Jay Hyland led off the eighth with a double and his pinch runner, Zach Height, came around to score when Chad Williams and Chad Nelson followed with consecutive singles to tie the game. Justin Jacque’s sacrifice bunt moved the runners up, forcing the Gators to walk Greg Gonzalez and load the bases. Walker instead lifted a fly ball to center field deep enough to score Williams. Reliever Robert Anaya earned the victory by getting the final out in the top of the eighth. He improved to 2-0. Wildcats starter Ben Buker allowed four runs on 10 hits while striking out four in his seven-plus innings of work. In Saturday’s doubleheader opener, Chico State exploded for 21 hits aqnd won 9-3. Starter Kris Krise surrendered just three hits and one walk while striking out five in six innings of work to improve to 2-0 on the season. Gonzalez, Walker, Joseph Ramos, and Trevor Weedon banged out three hits apiece for Chico State. Walker, Jay Hyland, and Chad Williams knocked in two runs apiece. In the nightcap, San Francisco State earned its first CCAA win in six tries thanks, in part, to three Wildcat errors. The Gators scored two unearned runs in the second inning to take a 2-1 lead and they never trailed again. Gilberto Hernandez took the loss for Chico State to dip to 0-1. He allowed three runs, one of them earned, on four hits in four-plus innings of work. Chico State rallied in the seventh, but after Jacque singled home Nelson with no outs, Jesus Bravo hit into a double play with the bases loaded to end the game. Chico State is back in action next weekend at Cal Poly Pomona for a four-game series. The Wildcats will open their home schedule with a three-game series against Western Oregon Feb. 26 and 27. . 02/08/05 Krise, a junior from La Crescenta, completed seven shutout innings to earn the win in his first start as a Wildcat to lead Chico State to a 7-0 win over Cal Poly Pomona (Feb. 5). Krise allowed only one hit and one walk and struck out seven. 02/06/05 02/05/05 The Wildcats are now 2-1-1 heading into their CCAA opener next weekend at San Francisco State. Krise, a transfer from College of the Canyons, had a perfect game going through five innings before Pomona's Greg Denning led off the sixth with a double. In his seven innings, he allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out seven. Eric Giaconi tossed two scoreless innings to wrap up the victory. Jesus Bravo sparked the Wildcats offense, meanwhile with three hits and four RBI. Greg Gonzalez chipped in a 3-for-5 effort, while Jonathan Shepard finished 2-for-3 with a pair of runs. After spotting the Broncos to take a 5-1 lead in the nightcap, Chico State rallied with two runs in the seventh and had the bases loaded before Jay Hyland flew out to center field to end the game. 02/04/05 Chico State never trailed in the game, but missed out on a number of opportunities to take control, and a scrappy Biola club (1-1-1) scored three runs in the fifth to tie the game. The Wildcats, 1-0-1, got three hits from Jeff Walker and two apiece from Chad Nelson and Jorge Araiza. Nelson also drove in a pair of runs. Chico State starter Gilberto Hernandez allowed four hits and a walk over three-plus innings of work. Neal Logue was pounded for three runs in one-plus innings, and then Reid Horton shut down Biola over the last three-plus innings, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out three. Chico State is back in action Saturday with a non-conference doubleheader at Cal Poly Pomona. They'll wrap up their first Southern California road trip of the season with a single game at Pomona Sunday. 02/04/05 The Wildcats, ranked No. 7 in the nation by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, opened the scoring with three runs in the fourth inning and never trailed. Fourth-year player Jeff Walker got things started by drawing a one-out walk. A Jonathan Shepard walk and Jeff Mayberry single loaded the bases for Ramos, who was hit by a pitch. Ryan Martin sacrifice fly made it 2-0, and Chad Nelson's grounder brought home Mayberry. After Biola knotted the score in its half of the fourth, Chico State retook the lead when Ramos doubled home Greg Gonzalez in the fifth. But again, Wildcats starter Ben Buker could not make the lead stand up as the hosts took advantage of a one-out error to tie the game 4-4 through five. The Wildcats pulled ahead for good in the sixth when pinch hitter Jesus Bravo plated Jay Hyland with a single up the middle to make it 5-4. Relievers Reid Horton and Anaya shut Biola down over the next three frames, while Chico State added to its lead with two runs in the seventh on RBI singles by Ramos and Jorge Araiza. Nick Burger pitched the ninth, allowing a run on two hits and two walks, to earn the save. It was the 15th save of his career leaving him just one save shy of the Chico State career record of 16 held by Brian Grover (1999-00). 01/30/05
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