CHICO, Calif. – The CSUSB baseball team took the series from the Wildcats in Chico this weekend, improving to 32-13 on the season. Their 32 wins is third most in program history, and with two more, they will tie the school's single season record at 34. CSUSB also collected their 23
rd conference win of the season, tying Cal State Monterey Bay for the most in the CCAA.
Game 2: CSUSB 5, CHICO 3
Oscar Rauda etched his name in the record book in the first game on Saturday, collecting his 22
nd career save to become the all-time CSUSB saves leader. It was the senior's ninth save of the season, while he sports an incredible 0.59 ERA on the season with just one run allowed in 15.1 innings.
The game remained scoreless until the fifth, when the Yotes were able to get on the board with back-to-back RBI singles from
DeShawn Johnson and
Daryl Ruiz, scoring
AJ Barraza and
Jason Shedlock to make the score 2-0. CSUSB then added on three critical insurance runs in the top of the ninth, coming from a two-run single from
Giovanni Del Negro, as well as an error by the centerfielder that allowed their fifth run to score. Those runs would prove to be essential, as Chico State scored three runs in the bottom of the frame. Had the Yotes not scored those insurance runs in the top of the inning, the Wildcats would have walked it off 3-2.
After the Chico bats scored the first two, Rauda entered the game and closed the door, picking up his record-breaking 22
nd career save.
Benny Olguin picked up the win on the mound, improving to a perfect 7-0 on the season. The junior struck out five batters and only allowed two hits across 4.2 innings from the pen.
Game 3: CSUSB 8, CHICO 6 (7 innings)
For the fifth straight game, the Yotes got on the board first with three runs across the first two innings. This came from RBI singles from
Ben Davidson and
Jake Borst in the first, followed by a sac fly from Del Negro in the second. In the fifth and sixth innings, Chico State scored all six of their runs on six hits with a home run and three doubles. This gave the Wildcats a 6-3 lead heading into the final inning.
Del Negro led off the seventh with a single to left center field, his second hit of the game. Davidson was then hit by a pitch, putting runners on first and second base. Chico State's pitcher then walked Borst, loading the bases with no outs in the inning. The very next batter,
Riley Parker, delivered a clutch two-run single through the left side to score both Del Negro and Davidson, making the game 6-5 with still nobody out.
Barraza came up next, laying down a sac bunt to advance both runners up a base for the first out of the inning. After a
Jeremy Giesegh pop up and a
Jason Shedlock intentional walk,
DeShawn Johnson came up to the plate with the bases loaded, two outs, down a run, and the game on the line. On the third pitch of the at-bat, Johnson roped a ball over the centerfielder's head for a double, unloading the bases and giving CSUSB an 8-6 lead.
With a save opportunity now in place, Rauda entered for his second appearance on the day. Despite walking three batters to load the bases, Rauda escaped the jam with no runs allowed to collect his 23
rd career save and 10
th of the season. His 10 saves is now third-most in a season in program history.
Dylan O'Connor delivered a strong start, allowing two earned runs in 5.1 innings.
John Pfeffer picked up the win, improving to 3-2 on the season.
Game 4: CSUSB 3, CHICO 8
In the series finale on Sunday, the Wildcats got the better of the Yotes to snap their 11-game losing streak. CSUSB scored first – for the sixth consecutive game – on a
Jason Shedlock RBI single in the top of the third. However, Chico State responded with three of their own in the bottom of the inning. The biggest hit came in the fifth, when the Wildcats hit a three-run home run to make the score 7-1.
The Yotes were able to tack on another in the sixth on a
Matt Gonzales sac fly, but that was immediately met with an RBI double from the Wildcats to make the score 8-2. In the ninth, Davidson drove in
Spencer Thomas for the final run of the game, finishing at a final score of 8-3 in favor of Chico State.
Starting pitcher
Austyn Coleman allowed a season-high four earned runs in 4.0 innings on the mound, taking his first loss of the season to fall to 7-1.
Andres Quinones,
Conner Batzer, and
Ryan Graves did a good job a slowing down the Chico bats, but it wasn't enough to let the offense catch up for the win.
Up Next
The Yotes will play their final game of the makeup series against Cal State LA on Tuesday, April 25
th, at 3:00 PM. They will enjot next weekend off, followed by their final home stand against Cal State Dominguez Hills beginning on Thursday, May 4th. You can catch the action on the CCAA Network at
ccaanetwork.com.
To see the full CSUSB baseball schedule, click HERE.
