In one of the most important Big West series of the season, Cal Poly Baseball has found itself in a challenging position.
Coming into their three-game series against UC Santa Barbara, the Mustangs were in first place in the Big West ahead of nationally ranked UC Irvine.
Cal Poly came into the series averaging over seven runs per game, fourth in the Big West, and it showed in their win on Thursday.
They have been a better offensive team than UCSB all season, but failed to replicate their season-long production after Thursday’s win in the rest of the three-game series.
The offensive woes came to a peak on Saturday as Cal Poly dropped their first Big West series of the season with a 4-0 loss to UC Santa Barbara at Ceaser Uyesaka Stadium.
Although each game was relatively close, eight runs in the series for the Mustangs were ultimately not enough to outlast a good Gauchos team.
It was Cal Poly’s first Big West loss of the season and came at an unfortunate time for the Mustangs.
The Gauchos (26-12, 12-9 Big West) win a crucial series over the Mustangs (27-11, 15-3 Big West), who now see themselves down to second in the Big West standings.
With a win, Cal Poly would have likely been ranked in the national Top 25 and kept pace with UC Irvine in the conference standings.
UCSB’s starting pitcher went the distance, holding the Mustangs’ lineup to just one hit in a dominating performance.
Instead, the Mustangs had their worst offensive performance of the season, with the lone hit coming via Nate Castellon’s single in the fifth inning.
Right-hander Ethan Marmie started on the mound for the Mustangs but was knocked out early, allowing four runs in three and a third innings.
Righty reliever Tanner Sagouspe, usually used in higher-leverage roles, pitched the remaining four and two-thirds innings, the redshirt junior’s longest outing of the season by a good margin.
Sunday’s loss raises the stakes for Cal Poly even further in next weekend’s clash with UC Irvine. The Mustangs will need to win two out of three to at least place themselves in a tie for first place in the Big West.
With such a big series coming soon to Baggett Stadium, it would not be a surprise to see Mustang fans break the attendance record set just a weekend ago against Hawai’i, with 8,727 total fans packing the bleachers.
Before the Mustangs get another crack at a premier conference opponent, they will come home to face Fresno State on Tuesday. Cal Poly is currently undefeated in mid-week games with a record of 5-0 in such contests.