CHICO — Key hits eluded the Warriors most of the evening as the host Chico State edged Cal State Stanislaus, 4-2, in a first round game of the NCAA Division II West Region Championship at Nettleton Stadium Thursday night.

Kevin Seaver's single up the middle in the third inning scored two runs to key a three-run Chico rally that proved to be the difference as the No. 6 Wildcats advance to Friday's game against UC San Diego. Cal State Stanislaus moves on to face Sonoma State in a 3 p.m. game on Friday. The Warriors will have to beat the Seawolves to extend their season.

With Thursday's loss, the Warriors dropped to 37-22 overall while Chico State earns its fifth straight 40-win season and improved to 40-15. In earlier games, Sonoma State pounded Nebraska-Kearney, 15-2, and UC San Diego beat Western Oregon 5-3.

Warrior ace Marquis Fleming, the region's pitcher of the year, settled down after early trouble. After Chico built a 4-0 lead through three innings, Fleming shut down the Wildcats tossing hitless baseball the rest of the way. In what perhaps could be his final collegiate start, Fleming labored through the outing with 145 pitches for the complete game. He allowed four runs on six hits, fanned six and walked six.

"The beginning was rough, I was overly amp'ed up for the game," Fleming said. "After three innings, I was able to settle down and we scored some runs, then I was just running on adrenaline."

Chico starter Pete Mickartz out-dueled Fleming with his own great performance. Mickartz went the distance and allowed two runs on five hits while setting a Wildcat record with 13 strikeouts in a postseason game.

Stanislaus got two runs in the sixth to cut the Chico lead in half. Jeff Hughes hit a solo homerun to lead off the inning and Jacob Thelen drove in Jeff Bellotti with a two-out single. Thelen finished the game with two hits and a RBI leading the Warriors' offense.

The Warriors, however, weren't able to cash-in on other scoring opportunities. Adam Fonville led off the third with a single and advanced on a passed ball, but Mickartz got Long and Hughes to strike out swinging. After Chico intentionally walk Kyle Loretelli, Jeff Bellotti flew out to left to end the scoring chance.

"No doubt (Mickartz) pitched an great game," CSUS head coach Kenny Leonesio said. "When you face a quality pitcher and get chances to score, you have to take advantage, but he did a great job getting out of (jams)."

Fleming did not get much help in the second inning as Chico State manufactured a run on two hits and a Warrior error. After drawing a walk, Seaver singled to short and with one out, Travis DeCoito hit a seeing-eye single to right to load the bases. Then, on a shallow fly ball to left off the bat of Kyle Eveland, Cody Dee scored on the sacrifice fly aided by an errant throw from Stanislaus left fielder Loretelli that nearly ended up in the third base dugout.