Little things cost Wildcats in first series loss of season
By Luke Reid - Sports Information Director ([email protected])
LA JOLLA (4/9/17) – The Chico State baseball team left La Jolla with an unfamiliar feeling Sunday–disappointment. The Wildcats' 6–4 loss in a drama-filled series finale sent them home with their first series defeat of 2017.
The Wildcats' talent is undeniable. They would not have entered the weekend ranked No. 1 in the nation otherwise. But while building a huge lead atop the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) standings through 21 games, the Wildcats often overwhelmed the opposition with that talent, whether or not they always did what Head Coach Dave Taylor calls "the little things" well.
UC San Diego, ranked No. 7 in the nation coming in, was not to be overwhelmed. The Tritons are a talented bunch, as their ranking attests. Not surprisingly, the team that did those "little things" best in each game of the series, won that game.
That was the case during Saturday's doubleheader split, and it was the case again on Sunday.
Chico State pitchers issued seven free passes, hit a batter, and committed an error Sunday. Three of the Tritons who walked would eventually score. Offensively, the Wildcats got the leadoff hitter aboard five times. But in the first, fourth and eighth, they failed to advance the runner. They did not manage a sacrifice bunt or stolen base for just the second time in 24 conference games. The first time came in Saturday's loss. They also grounded into three double plays and had a runner thrown out at the plate.
Some of that is simply baseball. But some of it can be fixed. Now that the Wildcats have finally scored less than spectacularly on a test, Taylor is hoping they return to practice at Nettleton Stadium this week with ears wide open and an even greater desire to get better.
Outside of the series, little is lost. Now 28-7 overall and 21-3 in conference play, the defending CCAA Champion Wildcats still have a 3.5-game cushion over UC San Diego in the overall standings, and a 7.5-game lead in the North Division over second-place Cal State Monterey Bay.
Despite Sunday's struggles, they nearly left La Jolla in even better shape. Chico State took a 3–1 lead in the fifth inning. Josh Falco led off the frame with a double, and Jerrett Maas hit a pinch-hit, RBI-double to tie the game. Casey Bennett and Sonny Cortez each drove in a run later in the inning.
But UC San Diego took advantage of three free passes in the bottom-half of the inning to reclaim the lead for keeps. The Wildcats walked three of the first five Tritons to come to the plate. The third walk forced home a run. Then a bases-loaded triple gave the Tritons a 5–3 lead.
The Wildcats had a chance to do some major damage of their own in the seventh. RJ Hassey and Bennett both singled to start things, and then Cortez reached on a bunt single to load the bases. After a strikeout, Cameron Santos' walk forced in a run, but the threat ended with an inning-ending double play.
Falco got aboard as the potential tying run leading off the eighth when he was hit by a pitch, but a strikeout, popup, and fly-out followed. In the bottom half of the frame, UC San Diego's Grant Shirley manufactured a run on his own, reaching on a bunt single, stealing two bases, and then scoring on a ground ball.
The Wildcats went down in order in the ninth.
Somewhere in the Central Valley the Wildcats will likely turn their attention to Nettleton Stadium, where they will spend this week working on the little things, no doubt. And they won't be away from home any time soon. They will play their next 10 games there, beginning with a three-games series against Cal State L.A. next weekend, before wrapping up the regular season with a four-game series at Cal State Monterey Bay.
After that, it is a distinct possibility that Chico State and UC San Diego will meet again in the postseason. With that in mind, there's no doubt that Taylor will be doing everything he can to make sure that his Wildcats are doing those "little things" better by then.
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