CHICO, Calif-  In one of the most incredible games you could ever hope to see, Sonoma State got tremendous performances from Nick Nosti and Konrad Thieme to shock Cal State Stanislaus, 13-11, at the CCAA Championship Tournament at Nettleton Stadium in Chico.  The win puts the Seawolves into the championship game against Chico State.  The Seawolves and Wildcats will meet at noon on Saturday with SSU needing two wins to claim their fifth CCAA title.

It was a record-setting night at Nettleton Stadium as Nosti tied CCAA Tournament records with five hits and four runs scored.  Thieme had two home runs, which also tied a conference tournament mark.  With 24 runs scored in the game, it was the second-highest scoring game in the event's ten-year history as well.

The win by the Seawolves also bucked an interesting trend.  In the past eight CCAA Tournaments, the team that entered Game No. 5 from the winner's bracket had always ended up on the losing side. 

To get to the theatrics, the Seawolves had to endure a mediocre start.  In fact, the Seawolves trailed 6-1 in the sixth inning before picked up a run to get within four on a solo Thieme homer.  In the seventh, SSU would score twice, on RBI singles by Kris Haycock and Thieme, to make it 6-4.  However, the Warriors would stretch the lead back to three with a run of their own in the bottom of the frame.

With two outs in the ninth inning, down 7-4, Ian Bridges singled up the middle, scoring Nosti, and bringing the deficit to two.  The next batter, Thieme, blasted a homer over the right center field fence to tie the game.  It was the 16th home run of the year for the senior from Thousand Oaks.

Tyler Fockler, who pitched four big innings for the Seawolves, retired the Warriors in the ninth and the game headed to extras.  In the tenth, it looked like the Seawolves pulled away.  A three-run triple off the bat of Nosti made it 10-7 Seawolves before Nosti scampered home on a wild pitch to extend the lead to four. 

Down 11-7, the Warriors, somehow stayed alive in the bottom of the tenth.  Jeff Hughes hit a sacrifice fly to right field that ended up being dropped by the right fielder, Mark Pestorich, bringing the Warriors within three.  The next batter, Kyle Loretelli, blasted a three-run opposite field home run, his second of the game, to tie it up. 

In the eleventh, again with two outs, Travis Babin came up with what would become the game-winning runs.  A walk to Vance Otake set the stage for Babin's heroics, this one an opposite field home run to right center that made it 13-11.

Nick O'Brien was able to overcome a Seawolf error in the bottom of the 11th, their sixth of the game, to nail down the victory.  O'Brien earned the win to improve to 4-3 on the year.

Nosti's 5-for-6 day was a career best.  He scored four times and drove in three.  Thieme finished 3-for-6 with four RBIs and Travis Babin was 3-for-6 with a pair of RBIs.

Kyle Loretelli was 3-for-6 with three runs and four RBIs for the Warriors.

Tomorrow's game(s) will be broadcast.  To listen in, click on the link entitled "SSU Baseball Webcasts" on the baseball website (on the right, halfway down the page).