Cal Poly outlasts Fullerton for second straight night
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - Following another offensive slugfest, Cal Poly (8-6, 2-0 BW) roared back from a five-run hole in the fourth to not only earn an 11-8 victory but also open the conference slate with a series win over Cal State Fullerton (4-10, 0-2 BW).
The Mustangs have tallied double-digit hits for the fourth game in a row and double-digit runs for the fourth time in two weeks. They are also 7-1 since the upset over #1 Texas A&M back on February 23 and have hit at least .300 as a team in five of those contests.
Jack Collins continues to be simply fantastic, especially considering the high expectations of the position given Cal Poly's history of standout catchers. In his first at-bat of the game, he extended the hitting streak to 14 and later crushed his third home run of the season. Collins owns six multi-hit games in the last seven.
Zach Daudet (4-for-4) enjoyed his first four-hit game of the season, which is also his single-game career high. Nate Castellon has collected six RBIs in the last four games with at least one in every game during that stretch. Casey Murray Jr. enjoyed a second home run in consecutive games, which gave Cal Poly some insurance runs in the eighth.
Collins led off the top of two by extending his hitting streak to 14 games with a single. The transfer catcher advanced all the way home from first thanks to a fielding and throwing error committed by the right fielder on Casey Murray Jr.'s knock.
Josh Volmerding was on a roll through the first three innings, sitting nine of the first ten batters with three of them going down on strikes. The Titans finally found their stride in the top of four, taking a 6-1 lead by forcing Volmerding out with six hits and six runs, which included a three-run homer.
Cam Hoiland, as the third batter in the bottom of four, picked up his eighth hit and fifth RBI in six games, starting what would become a lead-taking rally for the Mustangs. Cal Poly quickly juiced the bases before Nate Castellon was hit by a pitch and Garza grounded out, combining for a pair of runs, and the Mustangs were still not done there. Collins followed up with his third home run of the season, a booming shot over the left field wall that flipped a 7-6 lead over to Cal Poly.
Cal State Fullerton extended the top of five with two outs on the board, nabbing an RBI single and RBI double to jump back ahead 8-7 midway through the game.
Chris Downs helped settle the Titans' offense down after eight runs through the fourth and fifth innings, allowing Cal Poly a chance back into the game in the bottom of six. Murray Jr. and Kordic notched back-to-back two-out RBIs, giving Cal Poly a 9-8 edge.
Castellon, the standout freshman shortstop, singled in the bottom of seven for his second RBI of the game and sixth in the last four games to extend Cal Poly's lead to 10-8. Casey Murray Jr. added another to the board for an 11-8 lead in the eighth, cranking his second no-doubter out of the park in two days.
After Downs put together 2 2/3 innings of scoreless pitching, Tanner Sagouspe took the mound in the top of eight and did not allow a hit through the remainder of the game, earning his second save of the season to help Cal Poly notch an 11-8 game two and series win. Downs would be awarded the win, improving his record to 2-0 for the season.
The Mustangs and Titans wrap up this conference-opening series with a Sunday matinee at Baggett Stadium as Cal Poly looks to earn its first sweep of 2025.
(Article courtesy of Cal Poly Athletics).
