Cal Poly Baseball started their final non-conference series and their second series against a ranked opponent, hosting No. 6 Oregon State at Baggett Stadium on Friday, March 21 at Baggett Stadium.
The Mustangs (14-8, 6-0 Big West) played their final nonconference series of the season and held their own in different ways against the top-ranked Beavers (18-4).
Ninth-inning comeback falls short on Friday
In the series opener, the Mustangs rallied in the ninth but were unable to plate any runners, losing 4-1 in an unusual ending and snapping an eight-game win streak. The Beavers extended their own win streak to 11 games.
Junior catcher Jack Collins jumped on a 0-2 pitch that he sent cutting into the San Luis Obispo night, supposedly making it a 4-3 game. However, it was called back due to a pitch clock violation.
After Collins walked on yet another pitch clock violation, the next batter struck out and was called out for interference, trying to run to first base to end the game.
Going down 1-0 in the first, Cal Poly’s offense got the run back as sophomore third baseman Alejandro Garza singled through the right side of the infield.
“I’ve been pressing a little bit too much,” Garza said. “Just going back to just seeing the ball and hitting the ball… going back and getting confident again.
Despite the fast start, Cal Poly’s offense could not continue the scoring early. The Mustangs loaded the bases in the second but were unable to capitalize as the second baseman snagged a hard shot.
Oregon State starter Nelson Keljo left before the home half of the fourth could be started, leaving with an apparent injury. Eric Segura got an extended warm up and picked up where Keljo left off suppressing the Mustang offense.
Cal Poly had no answers for Segura, who struck out eight batters in four innings of work and worked his way out of another bases-loaded jam in the seventh.
Garza and sophomore designated hitter Braxton Thomas combined for five of the Mustangs’ seven hits. However, the team was able to be patient at the plate and draw six walks.
“We created a lot of opportunities to score tonight and they are one of the better teams in the country,” Garza said. “They don’t give up that many mistakes, we need to cash in at those times.”
Sophomore right-hander Griffin Naess ran into trouble early and often against the Beavers. Naess failed to get a leadoff out in his four innings of work.
Oregon State scored a run in each of the first four innings and left at least one runner on base each frame.
Naess failed to get past the fourth inning for the first time since he faced Texas A&M, ending up with four runs on nine hits and four walks.
Sophomore lefty Chris Downs was the first and only pitcher out of the bullpen for the Mustangs. He got the last 15 outs, a career-long outing for the southpaw.
Downs threw a scoreless five innings, keeping Beaver traffic off the basepaths.
“I felt pretty good, I was finally myself out there,” Downs said. “I feel comfortable coming out of the bullpen, that is kind of my comfort zone.”
Collins walks it off on Saturday
About 24 hours prior, junior catcher Jack Collins dug into the batter’s box at Baggett Stadium. Down by three and a runner on first.
Collins launched the 0-2 offering into the San Luis Obispo night, seemingly making it a one-run ballgame. It was called back, but the Oregon State pitcher had taken too long to deliver, and the Beavers were able to hold their three-run advantage to take the series opener.
Fast forward, and Collins digs into the batter’s box, the Friday night sky traded in for a Saturday sunset. Down by one and a runner on first, he represents the winning run. The first pitch Collins sees is the only one he needs to: a blast to left field sails over the wall. Game over.
The Mustangs won in walk-off fashion against the Beavers on Saturday, March 22, 7-6 at Baggett Stadium.
It was their second walk-off of the season for Cal Poly, following junior Dylan Knowles’ walk-off to open Big West play against Cal State Fullerton.
After Friday’s game, Garza talked about taking advantage of every opportunity that Cal Poly could get against Oregon State.
“Last night was the first time we got out of that mode of staying within ourself,” head coach Larry Lee said. “I think we were able to kind of settle in, learn from that experience last night and the guys just had a better approach.”
A one-out bunt single by senior second baseman Ryan Fenn brought Garza up. He perfectly executed a hit-and-run by placing it right where the second baseman had just vacated to go cover the steal.
Later in the inning, Cal Poly put on the double steal, and Fenn was able to score after the throw bounced into center field.
Cal Poly scored a run in each of the first three innings, including a home run by senior right fielder Dylan Kordic, his fourth of the season.
After that, the Mustang offense stalled out, with Oregon State going to the pen and bringing in AJ Hutcheson who has a funky sidearm delivery.
Down by three heading into the ninth, senior Cam Hoiland pinch hit in the ninth and doubled off the right field wall. He was singled in the next batter by senior Zach Daudet as a rally appeared to be brewing in Baggett.
Freshman left fielder Dante Vachini reached safely, and Fenn hit a sac fly to cut the lead to one and bring up Collins.
“[We] usually pick a spot in the lineup when we are behind,” Lee said. “Get to Collins and that gives us a chance to win the ballgame.”
Collins put the first pitch he saw into the parking lot and sent the Baggett faithful into a frenzy.
“I was just walking up to the plate with all the confidence,” Collins said. ”Knowing… his fastball is going to play up, if I just get on top of that thing and put a good swing on it, the ball will take care of itself
Sophomore left-hander Josh Volmerding took the hill for game two following his strong start against Long Beach State.
Beavers’ shortstop Aiva Arquette greeted him and once again started the scoring with a first-inning solo shot.
Volmerding worked through a pair of clean innings before loading the bases with no outs in the fourth, giving up three runs before escaping. His final line was four runs, three of them earned with five hits and two walks.
Senior lefty Jake Torres came in relief after the fourth inning. He put up zeroes in the score column in his first three innings of work. In the eighth, the Beavers finally figured Torres out, first with a two-out home run, then a triple off the center field wall that did not score.
Sophomore left-hander Caden Pearlman gave up a homer to start the ninth but was able to stabilize and earn the win after Cal Poly won it in the ninth.
Defensive miscues doom Mustangs, drop finale
Three errors in the third by Cal Poly allowed Oregon State the runs they needed to take the rubber match Sunday, March 23 at Baggett Stadium, 8-2.
Sunday was the largest non-conference attendance (2,934) for the Mustangs, who lost their first home series of the season against the No. 6 Beavers.
After a late surge in the ninth inning on Saturday, the Mustangs came out slow, only collecting two hits in the first five innings.
Things finally started to click in the sixth as the lineup turned over. Vachini scored on a double by Garza. Collins collected his fourth RBI of the series by singling in Garza the next at-bat.
Beavers starter Ethan Kleinschmidt was otherwise as advertised. The lefty with a top-30 ERA (1.35) coming into Sunday’s contest had a comfortable seven innings of work.
In the ninth, Cal Poly was able to get two hits but was unable to collect a run as the game ended.
It was a rocky start for sophomore right-hander Ethan Marmie. Things unraveled in the third inning after two clean innings to start the game.
First, a bunt attempt was thrown into right field and scored two runs, then another throwing error allowed the next batter to reach base. A fielding error allowed two more runs to score before Marmie was able to get the ninth batter of the inning to fly out.
Two more runs scored in the fourth on wild pitches by Marmie, who never seemed to recover from the first error in the third.
His final line was six runs with four earned, on two walks and seven hits.
First out of the pen was sophomore left-hander Josh Morano, who stabilized the defense and provided much-needed innings as the Mustangs have a game on Tuesday.
He went four innings, giving up just one run on a solo home run in the eighth that just barely curved inside the right-field foul pole.
To pitch the ninth was freshman lefty Luke Kalfsbeek. He also gave up a solo shot in the ninth but had no issues getting out of the frame.
Kalfsbeek was the sixth Mustang to come out of the bullpen and also the sixth left-handed pitcher to come in relief. Counting Volmerding, every left-handed pitcher who had made an appearance before Friday night appeared in the series against Oregon State.
Cal Poly plays their spring break on the road, starting with a Tuesday night trip to Malibu, playing Pepperdine on Tuesday, March 25 at 3 p.m.