Cal Poly Baseball’s second to last midweek matchup ended in a 11-4 defeat at the hands of Santa Clara on Tuesday.
The Mustangs (27-20) had opportunities to score from the jump, but the Bronco (19-28) pitching staff buckled down and stranded 14 Cal Poly runners.
Cal Poly chased the starter in the first, loading the bases by being patient at the plate on two walks and a hit by pitch. The Santa Clara reliever however got back to back strikeouts to strand all three runners.
From there the game devolved into a boat race. The Broncos chased Mustang starter Sean McGrath in the second, tagging him for six hits and six runs. Luke Kalfsbeek came in relief and fared a little bit better, giving up three runs over three innings of work.
Offensively the Mustangs still created chances, but failed to cash in the majority of them. Cal Poly stranded at least one runner in every inning except for the ninth.
Ryan Tayman collected a two-run double in the third, with Nate Castellon and Alejandro Garza collecting RBI’s in the sixth.
It wasn’t enough to overcome the hot start that Santa Clara got, as the Bronco squad is one the Mustangs have had problems solving in recent history. Cal Poly is 4-11 against Santa Clara in the last 15 matchups, and they were the one blemish on Cal Poly’s 9-1 record in midweek games last season.
While the inability to cash in opportunities is concerning, all season the Mustangs have created chances to score no matter the opponent. As they head into the last two weeks of Big West play and the postseason it becomes more of a concern if the trend continues, as the margins for error tighten up.
Cal Poly plays their last road series of the regular season against Fullerton who currently sit fourth at four games behind the Musatangs. It takes place at the site of Cal Poly’s 2025 Big West triumph Goodwin Field from May 8-10.
