The Signal

Issue date: 5/14/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Geoff Hatfield Matt Costa, Anthony Smith and teammates look on.

A walk-off double, a four-plus hour, red eye football score of an elimination game and a set-up man going 5 2/3 innings in one game are just a few of the things that the California State University, Stanislaus baseball team (37-21) experienced at the California Collegiate Athletic Association tournament this past week in Chico.

After taking three out of four games at Cal Poly Pomona last weekend, the Warriors headed to the CCAA tournament in Chico with a red-hot offense, and a confident pitching staff.

However, in game one of the tournament, on the afternoon of May 8 against the Sonoma State Seawolves, everything came to a screeching halt.

After 4 1/3 innings of no-hit baseball, senior ace Marquis Fleming gave up 3 in the fifth inning, and the Seawolves never looked back, winning the tournament opener 5-1 behind an outstanding performance from starting pitcher Matt Means. Junior right fielder Jake Thelen had the lone RBI for the Warriors: with a double in the top of the ninth inning.

Fleming, despite the loss, recorded six strikeouts to tie the CSU Stanislaus single season record at 112 with Jeff Blobaum, who set his mark during the 1982 season.

The next morning, the Warriors took on the University of California at San Diego Tritons in the losers' bracket game - the teams' second do-or-die situation in two weeks.

UC San Diego, the No. 1 team in the NCAA West Region coming into the tournament, jumped all over Warrior freshman starter Andrew Stueve, who went 3 1/3 innings and gave up four runs - including a two-run home run from Triton second baseman Garrett Imeson.

However, the Warriors battled back the rest of the game, culminating in a three-run bottom of the seventh inning, which included an RBI double by Thelen to give them a 5-4 lead.

But, after a Chris Hom single tied the game at five in the top of the ninth, the Warriors would need yet another walk-off victory, something common to the team at Warrior Field, but never at Nettleton Stadium in Chico.

After a solid top of the tenth inning of relief by junior Eric Federico, the Warriors' senior first baseman Adam Fonville stepped up to the plate with a man on first base.

Fonville, who had struggled all season, and hovered around the .220 mark, promptly sent a deep fly ball over the head of left fielder Evan Kehoe for a game winning double, scoring Thelen and giving the Warriors their first ever CCAA tournament win.

Continued...

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