SAN FRANCISCO – After taking the series opener 4-3 on Friday afternoon, the SF State Gators dropped a pair of one-run games in this afternoon's conference doubleheader to the visiting Chico State Wildcats at The Swamp at Maloney Field.  The Wildcats took game one 2-1 and won the night cap 3-2 in nine innings.

Game One
This afternoon's opener was a pitcher's duel between the Gators' Nolan Sheridan and Chico State's Clayton Gelfand (3-3).  Sheridan took the hard luck loss falling to 3-4.  The junior pitcher, pitched 9 innings, giving up 10 hits and two runs (one earned), striking out one and walking one.  Gelfand also pitched a complete game, giving up 6 hits and one run while striking out three.

Cameron Santos scored the game's first run in the Wildcat second inning.  Santos scored on a two-out single by Cody Bistline to give Chico State a 1-0 lead.
The Gators had a chance to cut into the Wildcat lead in their third when Danny Souza had a lead-off single.  He went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Andrew Breen, but was stranded there as Gelfand struck out the next Gator batter and induced the final out on a ground out.

Chico State doubled its lead to 2-0 when Andrew Carrillo scored on a two-out single by Bistline in the top of the seventh.  Carrillo reached on a lead-off double down the left field line. The Wildcats looked like they were going to increase their lead in the top of the ninth. Santos had a lead-off single and went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Gordon Deacon.  He was stranded there as Sheridan retired the final two Wildcat batters of the inning on a ground out to Connor Fraser at third and a fly out to Nick Jackson in center field.

SF State (15-23, 14-17 CCAA) had a chance to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth inning.  Mark Lindsay had a one-out single, his 201^st of his career, up the middle.  Will Hein came in to pinch run for Lindsay.  Hein advanced to second on a ground out by Chad Thurston.  With two outs, Garrett Heisinger drilled the first pitch he saw for a single to left field to bring in Hein to cut the deficit to 2-1.  Gelfand then induced the final out on a fly out to center field to preserve the Wildcat 2-1 victory.

Three Wildcats had multiple-hit games in Bistline (3-for-4 with two RBIs), Carrillo (2-for-3 with a run scored) and Dylan Garcia going 2-for-4. 
Heisinger had two of the Gators six hits in the opener.

Game Two
The night cap was just liked the opener as it was a pitcher's duel between SF State's Ryan Bohnet and the Wildcats' Ryan O'Shea for the first 6 innings of the 7-inning game. Bohnet had the no-decision the start for SF State, pitching 5.2 innings, giving up three hits and one run while striking out one and walking three.  O'Shea went 6 innings for Chico State, giving up four hits and two runs (one earned), striking out 6 and walking two. 

Chico State (17-21, 16-19 CCAA) looked liked it was going to take a 1-0 lead in its half of the second inning.  Gelfand had a lead-off single, but was out at second when Alex Michaels reached on a fielder's choice bunt.  Michaels then stole second with one out.  Bohnet retired the next two batters on a fly out to Jackson in center field and to Hein in right field.

The Gators took a 1-0 lead in their half of the second inning when Heisinger scored on a ground out by Joseph Chedid.  Heisinger reached base on a one-out single, he went to third on a single by Matt Vera.  Vera advanced to second on a wild pitch and then Chedid brought in Heisinger with the game's first run on a ground out. 

SF State had a chance to double its lead in the third inning when Jacob Lopez reached base on a one-out hit batsman.  He went to second on a two-out walk to Lindsay, but O'Shea induced an inning ending ground out back to the catcher.  The hosts doubled its lead in their half of the fourth inning.  Heisinger had a lead-off double.  He went to third on a bunt single by Vera and scored when the throw went over the first baseman's head to give the Gators a 2-0 lead. 

Chico State cut the Gator lead in half in its half of the sixth inning.  Garcia had a one-out walk.  He went to second when pinch hitter Jeff Ortega also walked.  Sean Smith came in to pinch run for Ortega.  Bohnet then struck out the next Wildcat batter.  Gelfand then doubled down the left field line to bring in Garcia and cut the Gator lead to 2-1. 

SF State reliever, Cory Davis, came in to pitch for Bohnet.  He hit the first batter he saw in pinch hitter Peter Lecce.  Davis then struck out the next Wildcat to keep the score 2-1 Gators heading into the final inning.
In the Wildcat seventh, Deacon singled with one out and stole second base.  He scored on a double by Bistline to tie the game at 2-2.  Davis intentionally walked Garcia, but retired the final two batters of the inning on a strike out and a fly out.

The Gators had a chance for the walk-off in their frame of the seventh.  Vera walked to lead off the inning.  Robert Hook (2-1) came in to pitch for O'Shea.  He went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Chedid.  Pinch-hitter Bryce Cherry was intentionally walked.  SF State pinch-hitter Dalton Pizzuti reached on a fielder's choice to second which Cherry was retired at second on, but Vera advanced to third.  With two outs and runners on the corners, Fernando Escobar pinch ran for Pizzuti and stole second.  Lopez walked to load the bases, but Hook induced the final out on a ground out to first base.

Each team had a scoreless eighth to send the game into the ninth inning.  Deacon had a lead-off single, went to second on a sacrifice by Bistline.  Garcia was intentionally walked.  Then with one out and runners on the corners, James Hatano singled to left which the Gators threw out Deacon at home on a throw by Lopez.  They had Hatano in a run down at second, but they missed the tag which Garcia came home to score what proved to be the game-winning run.

In the Gator ninth, Chedid had a one-out ground rule double to left field.  He went to third on a two-out single by Escobar.  Hook induced the last out of the game on a ground out to second as the Wildcats swept the doubleheader.

Hook picked up the win, pitching three scoreless innings of relief, giving up two hits, striking out one and walking two.  Gelfand and Deacon each had two of the Wildcat 7 hits.

Davis (2-3) suffered the loss for the Gators, pitching 3.1 innings of relief, giving up four hits, two runs, while striking out three and walking four. Heisinger and Vera each had two hits for the Gators, who fall into a tie for 7^th place with Sonoma State.  They are now 3.5 games out of fourth place, which Cal State L.A. currently holds. 

SF State and Chico State will finish off the four-game series tomorrow morning at 11am for a single nine-inning game at The Swamp at Maloney Field. 

Box Score Game One

Box Score Game Two

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