POMONA, Calif. — The San Francisco State baseball team fell behind early but used a four-run third inning to reclaim the lead and a clutch at-bat from Derek Laferriere in the fourth to cash in needed insurance runs to claim a 6-4 victory over Chico State.
- The fourth seeded Gators improve their record to 29-22. Checking in at number six in the West Region in the final poll today, the win was much needed to keep their hopes alive for Regionals. The win also marks the first CCAA tournament win since the 2019 season. Chico falls to 25-24.
- Laferriere was the clutch hitter on the day for the Gators, going 2-for-2 with four RBIs. He, along with Justin Johnson and Jacob French, had a double on the day.
- Johnson also went 2-for-2 and added to his RBI total with his 66th of the season.
- Chico turned three double plays to limit the damage by the Gators.
- Prior to the start of the game, Theo Dopkins was named the CCAA Elite 13 Award Winner. The CCAA Elite 13 Award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating in each CCAA-Sponsored Championship.
Back-to-back singles by Chico in the second allowed a pair of base runners. A sac bunt advanced both and a ground out to short allowed one to cross the home plate. Chico was in a similar position in the third inning as Carson Stevens ripped a ball up the middle for an RBI single. The Gator offense came alive in the third to retake the lead. With a pair of runners in scoring position, Santos singled up the left side to plate the first runner. Johnson, who was intentionally walked in his first at-bat, hit an RBI single to center to tie the game. Laferriere cleared the bases with a double down the left field line to go up 4-2.
With bases loaded and two outs in the fourth, Laferriere swung on a full count and hit the ball to right field to plate two more runners.
While the Wildcats would get those two runs back in the fifth, the rest of the game remained quiet as defense took over for both sides.
- David Eichhorn got the start and went four innings, giving up six hits and two runs while throwing four strikeouts.
- Looking to secure a spot in the double elimination round, the Gators went with their ace Ryan Garza (6-2) to close out the game. Like Eichhorn, Garza gave up six hits and two runs. Neither pitcher allowed a walk.
- Kevin Lyons (5-5) went three innings before being pulled in the loss.
The fourth seeded Gators open the double elimination round against number one seed Cal State Monterey Bay on Thursday, May 9 at 11 a.m. The game will be broadcast on the
CCAA Network with live stats also available at
sfstategators.com.
