Chico High baseball bounces back, salvages one win in series loss to Foothill

The Panthers defeated the Cougars 5-1 after dropping the first two games of the series.

Mar. 28, 2026 at 3:05am

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The Chico High School baseball team was in a must-win game against Foothill on Thursday, after the Cougars had defeated the Panthers twice on Tuesday. Chico bounced back with two runs in the bottom of the first inning to take the lead, which they would not relinquish. Chico's starting pitcher Tanner Horn had an outstanding performance, pitching seven innings and allowing just one earned run. The Panthers added insurance runs in the third and sixth innings to secure the 5-1 victory.

Why it matters

This game was crucial for Chico High to salvage one win in the series against their league rival Foothill. After dropping the first two games, a loss would have put the Panthers in a deep hole in the league standings. The win keeps Chico within striking distance and shows the team's resilience to bounce back after a tough start to the series.

The details

Chico trailed 1-0 after the top of the first inning, but the Panthers responded with two runs in the bottom half to take the lead. Jorden Neugebauer got the first of his two hits and stole second base, then scored on a sacrifice fly. Jaxxon Tweedt also stole third base and scored on an error. In the third inning, Chico's catcher Guiseppe Bianchi hit a two-run home run to extend the lead to 4-1. The Panthers added one more run in the sixth inning on a sacrifice bunt by Colton Brown.

  • Chico trailed 1-0 after the top of the first inning.
  • Chico scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning to take the lead.
  • Bianchi hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the third inning.
  • Chico added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning.

The players

Tanner Horn

Chico's starting pitcher who had an outstanding performance, pitching seven innings and allowing just one earned run.

Guiseppe Bianchi

Chico's catcher who hit a two-run home run in the third inning to extend the Panthers' lead.

Jorden Neugebauer

Chico player who got the first of his two hits and stole a base in the first inning to help the Panthers take the lead.

Jaxxon Tweedt

Chico player who stole third base and scored in the first inning to help the Panthers take the lead.

Colton Brown

Chico player who executed a sacrifice bunt in the sixth inning to drive in an insurance run.

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What they’re saying

“What we always talk about is that it's never a seven inning game, it's seven one inning games, and the goal is to win every single one.”

— Brian Thomas, Chico coach

“Being ahead is the name of the game. It allowed me to kind of take a breath.”

— Tanner Horn

“I knew the wind was going in so I didn't really want to go pull side. I stayed consistent with my approach, saw a changeup out of the hand and banged it.”

— Guiseppe Bianchi

“It was an unbelievable performance and exactly what we needed in a game that is a very important game. He wanted the ball, he took the ball and I would've had to rip the ball out of his hand to get him out of the game. He was lights out though. He walked the first batter of the game and didn't walk a single one after that. I can't say enough about Tanner and his performance, especially when our backs are against the wall after dropping two in the series. For him to do what he did, just took the team on his back and did what he needed to do.”

— Brian Thomas, Chico coach

“We have to get back to the program in terms of what we want to do. For us, even going into last year we have so many guys returning and we won a lot of games last year and it's easy to fall into a trap. I think we kind of got back onto our heels and didn't do the little things, so that was a big point. Just play hard, make sure you're doing the little things right and good things will happen.”

— Brian Thomas, Chico coach

What’s next

Chico (8-2, 1-2 Eastern Athletic League) faces Pacifica at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Ryan Lemmon Tournament at Great Park Stadium in Irvine. The Panthers return to EAL play at 4 p.m. April 7 at Pleasant Valley.

The takeaway

This game showed Chico High's resilience and ability to bounce back after a tough start to the series against their league rival Foothill. The Panthers' focus on the little things like bunting, stealing bases, and taking pitches deep into at-bats paid off, and their starting pitcher Tanner Horn delivered a dominant performance to keep them in the game. This win keeps Chico within striking distance in the league standings and demonstrates the team's potential to make a strong push down the stretch.