Box Score

TURLOCK -- The Cal State Stanislaus baseball team flexed its own muscles against one of the best offensive teams in the country as the Warriors hammered No. 9 Chico State, 18-5, Saturday afternoon.

The Warriors pounded the Chico State pitching staff with 21 hits -- including two home runs by Michael Johnson -- to even the four-game set at a game apiece. The series now shifts to Chico for a doubleheader on Sunday at Nettleton Stadium.

Cal State Stanislaus improved to 11-12 overall and 7-7 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. Chico State, ranked No. 9 in the latest Collegiate Baseball Top 30, falls to 16-6, 12-6 in the CCAA.

Johnson, who was playing in just his fifth game of the season, went 5-for-6, drove in six runs and scored four times. He belted two-run homers in the second and fourth innings and had a hit in his first five at-bats. He entered the game with just seven at bats all season.

The Warriors scored in every inning except for the sixth and put up a crooked seven spot in the second inning to jump ahead 8-1.

In the second inning, Stanislaus sent 10 batters to the plate. Johnson belted his first homer to score two runs, a Corey Conflenti sac fly scored another and Andrew Graves also drove in a run. The rally was capped by a two-out three-run double off the bat of Alex Zanini to right field.

Three more runs in the third gave Stanislaus an 11-1 lead en route to the surprising rout of the Wildcats.

Johnson homered again in the fourth and drove in two more runs in the fifth. Ironically, after going 5-for-5, he was the Warriors' final out in the bottom of the eighth on a grounder to first.

Zanini also had a nice offensive day going 3-for-3 with a double, drove in three runs and scored three times. Conflenti was 2-for-5 with a double and drove in three runs, including two in the third inning. Five other Warriors -- David Contreras, Graves, Vince Hungerford, Ross Gonsalves and John Canepa -- each had two hits. Eight of the nine starters had at least two hits each.

Starter Andrew Stueve got the win as he got plenty of run support. He tossed seven innings, gave up five runs on 11 hits with four strike outs. Phillip Quade pitched the final two innings without allowing a hit.

Chico State had entered the weekend with the CCAA's second best batting average of .373. The Wildcats scored 20-plus runs three times this season and outscored opponents 223-115 before the series against Stanislaus. They were averaging 11 runs a game after blanking the Warriors 7-0 Friday.

Michael Murphy led Chico State with two hits, including a solo home run. Kevin Seaver was 2-for-4 with a double and drove in two scores on Saturday.