SAN FRANCISCO– The visiting Chico State Wildcats defeated the SF State Gators 14-7 this afternoon in game one of this weekend's four-game CCAA series between the two teams at SF State's Maloney Field. The two teams will continue the four game series tomorrow at noon with a doubleheader at Maloney Field.
"We played terribly on defense and didn't execute our pitches, but we still were in the game down 8-7 in the 7th, " said SF State head coach
Tony Schifano. "Unfortunately, our bullpen and defense did not give us a chance."
The Gators took a 2-0 lead in their half of the first inning when
Nick Jackson led off the inning with a walk. He scored on a one-out double by
Myles Franklin which Franklin went to third when the Chico State outfielder bobbled the ball. Franklin scored on a sacrifice fly by
Dalton Pizzuti to give the Gators a 2-0 lead.
Chico State (29-14, 19-12 CCAA) took its first lead of the game with a three-run third inning. Sonny Cortez had a one-out single, went to second when he stole his 18
th base of the season. Cortez advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a two-out single by Ben Gamba. Then with the count 3-2, Dillon Kelley hit a two-out two-run home run to left field to give the Wildcats a 3-2 lead.
SF State (18-21, 11-17 CCAA) retook the lead with a two-run fourth of its own.
Bryce Brooks, who finished the day 2-for-4, had a lead-off single. He advanced to second on a wild pitch, went to third on a ground out. Brooks scored on a one-out double by
Ryan Burke. Burke then scored on a two-out single by
Chris Nicholson to give the Gators a 4-3 lead.
The Wildcats retook the lead for good with a two-run fourth inning as Sonny Cortez's sacrifice fly scored Cody Bistline with a the go-ahead run. The visitors added three more runs in the fifth as they took an 8-4 lead.
The Gators did not go away as they scored three runs in the seventh inning. Franklin had a lead-off single, went to second on a
Dalton Pizzuti single. Franklin scored when
Chris Nicholson reached on a fielding error by the Wildcats. With the score 8-5 Wildcats and one out,
Logan Marston hit a two-run double to cut the Gator deficit to 8-7 heading into the final two innings.
Chico State broke the game open with a four-run eighth inning as the Wildcats scored four runs on two hits and two Gator errors to take a 12-7 lead. They added two more runs in the ninth to take the series opener 14-7.
Clayton Gelfand (8-4) picked up the win in the start for Chico State, pitching 5.1 innings, giving up 7 hits, four runs (three earned), striking out two and walking two. Stuart Bradley recorded his second save of the season by pitching 2.1 innings of relief, giving up one hit and striking out one. Four different Wildcats had two hits apiece led by Gamba, who went 2-for-5, driving in three runs and scoring twice.
Ulices Moreno (2-2) recorded the loss in the start for the hosts. SF State had 11 hits on the day with Brooks, Franklin and Nicholson each with two hits.
Box Score
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Gator Athletics has a proud tradition of competitive success within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The department offers 12 intercollegiate sports programs: Baseball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Men's and Women's Soccer, Softball, Women's Track & Field, Women's Volleyball and Men's Wrestling.
Gator Athletics places great emphasis on academic performance as well as athletic achievement. The program offers student athletes the opportunity to reach their educational goals, as well pursue meaningful athletic accomplishments. For more information, visit SF State Athletics' website, Twitter and Facebook pages.
