BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Cal State Bakersfield split a pair of duals on Sunday at the Icardo Center, but if it weren't for a Matt Schumm decision in the final match of the day, the Roadrunners could have lost another match by one point.
The Roadrunners opened the day with a disappointing 22-21 loss to Stanford, which was the third one-point loss in the last four matches. Bakersfield lost 19-18 last Friday against two-time Pac-10 Champion Arizona State, and had lost two weeks ago to now No. 24-ranked Columbia by an identical 19-18 score.
Amazingly, Bakersfield has lost four duals this season by a total of six points.
Bakersfield won the second dual of the day 20-15 over Cal State Fullerton, but it definitely wasn't easy.
Heading into the final match of the day, Bakersfield held a 17-15 lead, which meant that if the Roadrunners lost a decision, it would have marked the fourth one-point loss in the last five duals. But Schumm picked up a hard-fought 4-0 win over Nick Blackshaw to earn the win for the Roadrunners.
The day opened on a position note with Jeremy Doyle earning a 12-3 win over Stanford's Tyler Parker. Stanford narrowed the team score to 4-3 when Josh Zupancic picking up a 10-3 decision over Daniel Alejandro. Stanford took the lead for good in the third match of the night when Brian Perry — ranked No. 4 in the Pac-10 — earned an upset win over Bakersfield's No. 2-ranked Daniel Atondo, 5-3.
That started a three-match win streak for the Cardinal as Luke Feist defeated Garth Wara 11-1 at 174 pounds and Zack Geisen pinned Ernesto Ancona at 184 pounds for a huge 16-4 lead.
Brandon Halsey turned things around with a 6-1 decision over Jared Boyer, and Bakersfield heavyweight Colton Nichols pinned Phillip Doerner in just 1:26 to narrow the Cardinal lead to 16-13 with three matches to go.
Unfortunately for Bakersfield, one of those three matches came at 125 pounds. Stanford's Tanner Gardner is ranked No. 4 in the nation and showed why when he pinned Brandon Zoetewey in the first period to reclaim Stanford's nine-point team lead.
Bakersfield won the final two matches, but the two major decisions left the Roadrunners one point short of the team win. Thomas Kimbrell fell three points short of a technical fall in a 14-2 win over Cameron Teitelman at 133 pounds, and despite a huge effort from Schumm in the final match of the day, he was only able to pick up a 14-6 win over Matt Kim for the 22-21 Stanford win.
Things went back and forth from the beginning against Fullerton from the beginning. The Titans took an early 3-0 lead when Morgan Atkinson, ranked No. 10 in the nation and No. 1 in the Pac-10, edged Brandon Doyle, the Pac-10's No. 2 wrestler at 149 pounds, by a 5-2 decision. But the score was tied after the second match when Alejandro earned a split on the day with a 7-3 decision over Paul Tice.
The big blow to the Roadrunners came at 165 pounds, when Bryan Tice shocked Atondo in the first period with a pin just 40 seconds into the match for a 9-3 Titan lead.
Bakersfield turned things around, though, with three straight wins. Wara earned a 4-0 decision over Ryan Budd who entered the match ranked No. 5 in the Pac-10 before Brandon Ceremello dominated Alan Reynel by a 12-1 major decision at 184 pounds. Halsey remained steady with a 2-0 decision over John Drake at 197 to give the Roadrunners a narrow 13-9 team lead.
But at heavyweight, No. 14 nationally-ranked Wade Sauer came from behind to edge Nichols 3-1 to cut the team score to 13-12. Bakersfield needed to win two of the final three matches to win the dual, and it did just that.
Zoetewey had no problems defeating Jaime Hernandez at 125 pounds with a 13-0 major decision, before Fullerton's T.J. Dillashaw picked up a narrow 4-2 decision over John Cardenas at 133 to set up Schumm's dramatic final match. But the Bakersfield senior delivered with the 4-0 decision to give the Roadrunners a close win.
Bakersfield hits the road next and will face Cal Poly on Friday in San Luis Obispo at 7 p.m. before returning home on Saturday for a 7 p.m. dual against UC Davis.
Stanford 22, Cal State Bakersfield 21
149—Jeremy Doyle (CSUB) maj. dec. Tyler Parker (STAN), 12-3
157—Josh Zupancic (STAN) dec. Daniel Alejandro (CSUB), 10-3
165—Brian Perry (STAN) dec. Daniel Atondo (CSUB), 5-3
174—Luke Feist (STAN) maj. dec. Garth Wara (CSUB), 11-1
184—Zack Geisen (STAN) fall Ernesto Ancona (CSUB), 5;29
197—Brandon Halsey (CSUB) dec. Jared Boyer (STAN), 6-1
285—Colton Nichols (CSUB) fall Phillip Doerner (STAN), 1:26
125—Tanner Gardner (STAN) fall Brandon Zoetewey (CSUB), 2:13
133—Thomas Kimbrell (CSUB) maj. dec. Cameron Teitelman (STAN), 14-2
141—Matt Schumm (CSUB) maj. dec. Matt Kim (STAN), 14-6
Cal State Bakersfield 20, Cal State Fullerton 15
149—Morgan Atkinson (CSF) dec. Brandon Doyle (CSUB), 5-2
157—Daniel Alejandro (CSUB) dec. Paul Tice (CSF), 7-3
165—Bryan Tice (CSF) fall Daniel Atondo (CSUB), :40
174—Garth Wara (CSUB) dec. Ryan Budd (CSF), 4-0
184—Brandon Ceremello (CSUB) maj. dec. Alan Reynel (CSF), 12-1
197—Brandon Halsey (CSUB) dec. John Drake (CSF), 2-0
285—Wade Sauer (CSF) dec. Colton Nichols (CSUB), 3-1
125—Brandon Zoetewey (CSUB) maj. dec. Jaime Hernandez (CSF), 13-0
133—T.J. Dillashaw (CSF) dec. John Cardenas (CSUB), 4-2
141—Matt Schumm (CSUB) dec. Nick Blackshaw (CSF), 4-0
