May 13, 2006

Box Score

Los Angeles, CA – It was round two between Chico State and Cal State Dominguez Hills in the 2006 CCAA Baseball Tournament, and just like in their first meeting, Chico State KO'd the Toros to take the CCAA Championship, this time by a 10-4 count. With the loss, CSUDH falls to 33-18 on the season and will have to wait for the NCAA Championships committee to announce whether the Toros will a top six team in the West Region and garner its first invitation to the NCAA tournament since 1994.

After loading the bases and coming away scoreless in the top of the 1st, Chico State would not waste its opportunity in the 2nd as Chad Williams belted a two-out single to right field off Toros starter Matt Hopps (Torrance, CA/South HS) for a quick 1-0 lead. The Wildcats used that momentum in successive innings, scoring three runs in the 3rd and four more over the 4th and 5th innings to take an 8-0 lead.

Wildcat starter Billy Spottiswood would be sharp, allowing only one batter to reach base over the first four innings, before CSUDH would finally get on the score board in the bottom of the 5th, using a pair of doubles by Mateo Marquez (Biggs, CA/Cal State L.A.) and Chris Hunter (Vallejo, CA/Vallejo HS).

The Toro offense would chip away at the lead scoring single runs in the next three innings, with the last coming courtesy of Marquez's seventh home run of the season to dead center field, but it would not be enough as Wildcat reliever Elliot Tyson induced the final Toro batter to fly out to left, ending the game and clinching the 2006 CCAA Baseball Title for Chico State.

“Chico is a very opportunistic team and they do a great job of taking advantage of anything you give them,” said head coach George Wing. “They did that to us in the opening game and they did it again today. We will just have to get a little better next time. If we see them again in the NCAA tournament we are just going to have to step our game up, or it is going to be a short tournament for us.”

Spottiswodd would receive the win, giving up three runs on six hits in 6.2 innings on the mound, while at the plate, Carl Fairburn would lead the Wildcats with three RBIs, getting two hits apiece by Daniel Code, Trevor Weedon and Aaron Demuth.

Hopps would be credited with the loss, allowing eight runs on eight hits and walking four batters.

After the game, Fred Medina (Santa Ana, CA/Century HS), Kyle Stanley (Buena Park, CA/Hawaii Pacific), Chris Borchers (Torrance, CA/LA Harbor College), Houston Hernandez (La Miranda, CA/St. Paul HS) and Hunter were named to the 2006 CCAA All-Tournament team along with six players from Chico State to comprise the 11-player All-Tournament team.

Chico State--------------------013 131 001 -------10--13--0 
Cal State Dominguez Hills------000 011 110 --------4---7--4

W - Billy Spottiswood (9-5) L - Matthew Hopps (5-5) HR - Chico: Carl Fairburn (7), Trevor Weedon (2); CSUDH - Mateo Marquez (7). Time - 2:46 Attendance: 253.