Sophomore pitcher Ethan Marmie stole the show for 8 2/3 innings, aiding Cal Poly Baseball to a 5-4 win against Seton Hall in the second half of a doubleheader on Saturday, March 1 at Baggett Stadium.
The Mustangs (5-5) have won four consecutive games following a tough start to their season against UCLA and No. 1 ranked Texas A&M.
Marmie heating up
Marmie, the 6-foot 7-inch right-hander, silenced the Seton Hall Pirates’ bats in his best start of the young season as he struck out a career-high seven and allowed five hits, three of which came in his final inning.
Marmie followed up a solid start last week against Texas A&M with another brilliant outing. He threw 103 pitches, 69 of them strikes, and seemed to grow more confident as the game progressed.
“I’m just going after guys, attacking the zone,” Marmie said. “No need to be perfect because when I get too perfect that’s when my stuff starts doing too much.”
Marmie came one out short from becoming the first Cal Poly pitcher to throw a complete game in two years and the first to throw a complete game in a win since Travis Weston did it in 2022 against UC Davis.
Offensive delivery
Seton Hall’s Ryan Reich was equally as impressive through the first half of the game, not allowing a hit through four innings, but the defense behind him faltered in the fifth and sixth, yielding two errors that turned into two unearned runs.
Junior catcher Jack Collins continued his offensive tear from the first game of the doubleheader, where he contributed three RBIs.
Collins added another RBI under his belt with a short single poked into right field in the bottom of the sixth inning, allowing the go-ahead run to score for the Mustangs.
Following the single, Collins has extended his reached-base streak to 10 games – a stat in which he is tied for the team lead with freshman outfielder Dante Vachini, being the only match.
After a twenty-run outpouring in the first game of the twin-bill and eighteen the game before, it made sense that Cal Poly’s bats would be tired out and that did look to be the case for a time against the Pirates’ ace Reich. But as evening slowly became night and Seton Hall went to the bullpen, the Mustangs’ offense was rejuvenated.
Cal Poly used small ball to score three key runs in the seventh inning against Pirates’ reliever Stephen Curry. A walk, a hit by pitch, a bunt hit and an error, a sacrifice fly, and another bunt hit got the gears rolling.
“We try to use what our players do well,” Head Coach Larry Lee said. “If your opponent shows anything that you can take advantage of, hopefully you have those players in your lineup that can execute and take advantage of those deficiencies.”
Looking ahead
The Mustangs have seemingly found their groove, clawing their way back to a .500 record following a rough 1-5 start to the season. With the win Saturday night, Cal Poly extends their winning streak to four games.
Cal Poly will finish off the series against Seton Hall Sunday afternoon at Baggett Stadium at 1 p.m., where the Mustangs will look to extend their winning streak and play for the sweep of the Pirates.