Cal Poly wins crucial 3-game series at #9 UC Irvine
IRVINE, Calif. - Every starting Mustang batter collected at least one hit on the day - with six tallying RBIs and multiple hits - during Cal Poly's (28-17, 17-7 BW) huge series-clinching 11-2 victory over #9 UC Irvine (34-10, 15-6 BW).
The Mustangs now also have series wins and therefore tiebreaker scenarios over all three of the Big West's other title contenders: UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, and CSUN.
For the second time in the series, Cal Poly eclipsed the 15-hit mark with 16 in game one and 17 in the series finale. Joe Yorke sent his first home run of the season out of the park while leading the Mustangs on Sunday by going 3-for-5 with 3 RBIs.
Ryan Stafford has been on an absolute tear lately. On top of vaulting himself atop the conference as the hits leader (75), Stafford slugged 1.000% while going 13-for-21 (.619 avg) through just four games. Zach Daudet and Braxton Thomas each had 7 RBIs to lead the team over the week.
With two quick outs to start the contest, the Mustangs quickly settled and started a small rally with four straight hits culminating in Alejandro Garza putting them ahead 1-0 with his RBI-single into center field.
The Anteaters responded with an RBI-single of their own in the bottom of the first inning.
Ryan Fenn reached on a UCI defensive blunder and Joe Yorke walked in the third inning before advancing twice after a ground out and passed ball. During that passed ball, Fenn was able to make the trek home for another Cal Poly lead.
That lead extended to 3-1 after Dylan Kordic's RBI-single that allowed Yorke home.
Fenn tacked on another run with an RBI-single of his own in the fourth inning, but UC Irvine managed to respond again in the bottom half.
The Mustangs took a definitive lead in the top of the fifth after Stafford singled to left-center and Yorke cleared the bases on his first home run of the year, a three-run shot that put Cal Poly up 8-2.
Despite tallying a high pitch count early in the contest, Griffin Naess still gave Cal Poly a chance with a solid start, going four complete innings with just two hits and two earned runs allowed before Josh Volmerding replaced him to start the bottom of the fifth.
Braxton Thomas, the true freshman who has burst onto the scene since rescinding his redshirt 39 games into the season, crushed his third home run in just 27 at-bats to lengthen the gap against UC Irvine.
Cal Poly's 16th hit of the game came from Kordic's second RBI that rounded Yorke all the way from first. Thomas immediately built on that with his own second RBI of the game, scoring Kordic and giving the Mustangs a dominant 11-2 lead that persisted for the win.
This was a massive series win for the Mustangs and their first over a top-10 ranked opponent since beating #5 Cal State Fullerton twice back in 2011.
Cal Poly now has six straight non-conference games before their final two Big West series of the season against UC San Diego and Long Beach State.
Utah Tech comes to town next weekend for a four-game series with a Saturday doubleheader, which is bookended by a pair of midweek contests over the next two Tuesdays against Santa Clara and Pepperdine.
(Article courtesy of Cal Poly Athletics)
