CHICO, Calif. – Chico State took advantage of a two-base error in the bottom of the 10th inning to defeat visiting San Francisco State, 3-2, in a California Collegiate Association baseball game on Friday night at Nettleton Field.
With the loss, the Gators slip to 12-18 on the year and 5-12 in conference play,, while the eighth-ranked Wildcats move to 20-7 overall and 15-6 in the CCAA.
Trailing 2-1, SF State pushed across a run in the top of the ninth to send the contest into extra innings as Kevin Dultz (Altadena, Calif., Glendale CC), who reached on a Chico State fielding error to lead off the frame, scored on Ryan Williams' (Woodland, Calif., Yuba College) RBI double to right center.
After Wildcat reliever Ian Waldron set the Gators down in order in the top of the 10th, the host school got things going in their half of the inning when Michael Murphy singled to right field and advanced all the way to third on an SF State fielding error. Following back-to-back intentional walks and a pop-out, the Gators tried turning a double play on Adrian Bringas' grounder to short. However, the relay throw was off the mark just enough to allow Murphy to cross the plate with the game-winner.
Despite ceding the tying run, Waldron (4-0) picked up the victory, pitching the final two frames in relief of starter Michael Gleason, who allowed one run on three hits and four walks while striking out nine in eight innings of work. Meanwhile, Nic Banaugh (Novato, Calif., College of Marin) (1-5) absorbed the loss after relieving Gator starter Spencer Kreisberg (Tigard, Ore., Los Medanos College) in the ninth.
Chico State opened the scoring in the bottom of the third when Jordan Larson singled home Tony Hernandez, who stroked a base hit to left and advanced to second on a walk to Ben Manlove.
SF State struck back with a run in the top of the fourth as Greg Kline (Las Vegas, Nev., San Joaquin Delta College) belted his second homer of the season over the left-field fence to tie the score at 1-1. Chico State then went back in front 2-1 in the bottom of the stanza on a Hernandez sacrifice fly, which plated Jackson Evans.
The two teams will battle one another in Chico on Saturday, March 27, beginning at noon, before shifting sites to SF State's Maloney Field for a doubleheader on Sunday, March 28, starting at 11 a.m.
Box Score
