Cal Poly Baseball used an eight-run second inning to overpower San Jose State, 18-4, on the road Tuesday, March 13 at Excite Ballpark.
The Mustangs (10-6, 3-0 Big West) have won nine of their last 10 games, including one against then No. 1 ranked Texas A&M. The 14-run loss for the Spartans (10-6) is larger than the margin of their other five losses combined.
Offense extends hot streak
During Cal Poly’s 10-game stretch, the offense has found their groove. The team has outscored their opponents 109-58.
It also marks the team’s fourth straight game scoring double-digit runs, starting in their series against Cal State Fullerton.
After trading runs in the opening inning, Cal Poly came alive in the second. They scored eight runs and sent 11 batters to the plate against a pair of Spartan pitchers.
Senior outfielder Dylan Kordic led off the inning with a home run, then in his second plate appearance of the inning hit another home run. In Major League Baseball, there have been only 67 such occurrences. After a slow start, Kordic has gone 12-for-22 to raise his batting average from sub-.100 to over .300.
After torching San Jose State in the second, the Mustangs followed it up with nine runs over the next two innings.
Junior catcher Jack Collins had a home run to go along with a 5-RBI night, putting him second in the Big West with 24 RBI’s.
Freshman infielder Jake Downing, filling in for the injured Ryan Fenn, hit a home run following Kordic’s leadoff blast in the second. Downing has recorded a hit in each of his four starts
Seven of the nine Mustang starters recorded a hit, with six of those being multi-hit performances.
Pitching staff remains steady
With freshman southpaw Luke Kalfsbeek slicing up Spartan hitters, the game was never in question after the second inning. Kalfsbeek’s final line was six innings pitched, with four runs allowed and nine strikeouts earning him the win.
The bullpen proceeded to throw a scoreless three innings to close it out, including redshirt sophomore Carson Turnquist making his return from Tommy John surgery.
Turnquist transferred from the University of Oklahoma at the beginning of the 2024 season, but didn’t play as he underwent the elbow surgery.
The Paso Robles native relieved Kalfsbeek in the seventh inning. On 22 pitches, he didn’t allow a run, allowed one hit and two walks while striking out one batter, his only out.
Despite his shaky Cal Poly debut, Turnquist’s return to the mound was a good sign, as he looks to regain his form.
The rest of the bullpen didn’t let up a run either as freshman righty Troy Cooper and sophomore southpaws Josh Morano and Caden Pearlman shut the door on any Spartan comeback attempts.
Cal Poly will travel to Long Beach for a weekend Big West clash against the Dirtbags, Friday, March 14 to Sunday, March 16 at Blair Field.
