Box Score
LOS ANGELES – Cal State L.A.'s baseball team had a solid start Friday in the opener of a four-game California Collegiate Athletic Association series with No. 23 Chico State.
Chico State's starting pitcher Michael Gleason, though, had the better finish and led the Wildcats to a come-from-behind 5-3 win over the Golden Eagles Friday night at Reeder Field. The Wildcats fell behind, 3-1, after three innings, but Gleason limited Cal State L.A. to just two hits over the final six innings and recorded his first complete game of the season.
Cal State L.A. (15-19, 13-12 CCAA) got effective pitching from five pitchers, but the Golden Eagles were unable to muster much offense against Gleason, who improved to 6-0 on the season for Chico State (24-11, 19-10 CCAA). Gleason allowed six hits and walked one while striking out 10.
Max Moya slugged a two-run home run in the second inning to give Cal State L.A. a 2-1 lead and the Golden Eagles made it 3-1 in the third after
Sam Wiley's fly ball to right field was lost in the lights and fell in for a triple that scored
Cliff Quick.
Chico State, though, bunched together two hits, a walk, a hit batter and a sacrifice fly for three runs in the fourth inning to take the lead for good, 4-3. The big hit of the inning was a two-run single by Jordan Larson that tied the game for the Wildcats. Michael Murphy drove in the go-ahead run with the sacrifice fly.
The Wildcats tacked on another run in the sixth inning when Adrian Bringas scored on a wild pitch.
Three Cal State L.A. relievers combined to hold Chico State to just one hit and one run over the final five innings. After giving up the single to Larson, Clark settled in and blanked the Wildcats over 1 2/3 innings. Quick gave up two hits and three walks, but only one run over two innings and
Brendan McQuaid retired the Wildcats over the final two innings without allowing a hit or a walk.
Kevin Seaver had four hits to lead a nine-hit Chico State attack. Six different Golden Eagles had one hit each for Cal State L.A.
The series will continue on Saturday with a doubleheader at Reeder Field beginning at 1 p.m.
