Toros Suffer Sweep to No. 11 Chico State in CCAA Tilts

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

CHICO -- Reigning CCAA Player of the Week Kamran Young went 3-for-4 with two RBI in game one of today's baseball double-header at host and 11th-ranked Chico State, but the Wildcats scored the final eight runs of the contest en route to an 11-6 victory before eeking out another walk-off in the nightcap 2-1 decision to sweep the afternoon twinbill.

Connor Huesers and "Piccolo" Peter Miller provided the fireworks and Robert Hook and Marcos Lara threw water on the hot-starting Cal State Dominguez Hills offense as Huesers lit up the Nettleton Stadium crowd with a go-ahead three-run blast to left field in the opener while Miller ignited the crowd once again with a pinch-hit walkoff single in the seventh inning of game two in the 2-1 walk-off win.

Hook earned the win with six innings of relief in the first game. He allowed just one unearned run on five hits, improving to 3-0. The Toros tagged Chico State starter Brad Lohse for five runs on nine hits in the first three innings before Hook halted the onslaught.

Marcos Lara threw a complete-game seven hitter in the second game, improving to 7-2. He struck out five and walked two.

The Wildcats, who have now won the first three games of the series, improved to 29-7 overall and 21-6 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. They've won 15 of their last 17 games and improved to 20-4 at home.

Cal State Dominguez Hills, which had won seven of eight entering the weekend, fell to 17-18 overall and 12-15 in the CCAA.

Chico State trailed 6-3 in the opener before Huesers' first homer of the game capped a four-run fifth. The Wildcats tacked on two runs in the sixth and single runs in the seventh and eighth to win going away.

Miller went 2-for-3 and scored twice, Ryan McClellan drove in two runs and Ryne Clark went 1-for-3 with two runs and an RBI.

The Wildcats trailed 1-0 in the second game before Eric Angerer led off the fourth with a triple and scored on Ruben Padilla's grounder.

Cal State Dominguez Hills threatened to reclaim the lead in the seventh when Adrian Guzman led off the inning with a double and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt. But Lara got a grounder right at shortstop Cody Slader and then struck out Hayden Maurice to end the threat.

Chico State's winning rally started with two down and nobody on. Dylan Garcia (who threw out a runner at the plate to end the first) smacked the first pitch he saw for a single to center field. Freshman pinch-hitter Clayton Gelfand grounded a single through the left side to move him along.

Head Coach Dave Taylor decided to see if Miller – who won Friday night's 13-inning affair with a walkoff hit – could make it two walkoffs in two nights. He did.

Miller hit a hard ground ball through the hole between short and third and pinch runner Blake Walker wheeled around third and beat the throw to win it.

It marked Miller's sixth game-winning RBI of the season, twice the total of any of his teammates.

Angerer and Garcia had two hits apiece for the Wildcats. Padilla singled to expand his hitting streak to 12 games. Clark also singled and has now hit safely in 10 straight and reached base in 20 games in a row.

The series concludes with a single game Sunday at 11 a.m. at Nettleton Stadium.

(Courtesy Chico State)

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Toros Suffer Sweep to No. 11 Chico State in CCAA Tilts