Fullerton, Calif. – After defeating Hawai’i earlier in the day, Cal Poly had to turn back around in an hour and face off against UC Irvine.
The Anteaters had demolished the Mustangs during the Friday evening game 15-3 in seven innings.
24 hours after their first meeting, the Mustangs evened the score.
It was all hands on deck as Cal Poly needed a win to survive and advance for a chance to win the Big West Championship.
That meant senior lefty Jake Torres, all 49 previous appearances for Cal Poly out of the pen, made his first start as a Mustang.
The first inning went well for the lefty, but he ran into trouble in the second. With the bases loaded Torres walked one batter before a sacrifice fly and RBI single ended his night, with Irvine holding a 3-0 advantage.
Sophomore lefty Chris Downs was called upon to escape the jam, then provide some length for what was going to be a bullpen game for the Mustangs.
The top of the third saw the Cal Poly offense spring to life. Senior first baseman Zach Daudet ripped an RBI single to score one, followed by senior second baseman Ryan Fenn providing his own RBI single to score a pair of runners. Sophomore third baseman Alejandro Garza capped the scoring with the third RBI single of the inning to make it 4-3 Cal Poly.
Downs turned in a scoreless frame so it was time for the Mustang offense to go back on the attack. Freshman Dante Vachini laced an RBI single, before Daudet, Fenn and Garza all tacked on another RBI to their respective tallies with a trio of singles to push the lead to 8-3.
The Anteaters threatened to claw back a chunk of the lead, loading the bases in the bottom of the fourth. Downs was able to work around it giving up just one run, similarly in the next inning where he was able to work around traffic giving up just one more run to make it 8-5 Mustangs at the end of the fifth.
“I told the team earlier in the season it doesn’t matter if you win a 10-9 game or a 2-1 game, winners win,” head coach Larry Lee said. “From an offensive standpoint we try to score a run an inning… pitching wise we just count outs.”
Cal Poly again struck in the sixth inning, loading the bases quickly before Garza tallied his third RBI of the night on his third single of the game. Then it was freshman shortstop Nate Castellon’s turn to pick up an RBI, reaching on an error. Senior center fielder Casey Murray Jr.’s two RBI single capped off yet another four run frame for the Mustangs.
Downs kept putting zeroes up on the scoreboard, well past his career high of five innings pitched. His final pitch count of 117 was a season high for the team.
In the eighth senior right fielder Dylan Kordic collected the teams 13th run on an RBI groundout, before junior Jack Collins went yard for the 13th time this season with a two run home run to make it 15-5. Downs put up his final zero of the night, as the game ended after eight innings due to the mercy rule.
“We were able to score some runs, it was important to get that last out to run rule and not have to use somebody else,” head coach Larry Lee said.
The win marks the third season under Lee where Cal Poly reached 40 wins.
Cal Poly rematches with UC Irvine for a sixth time this season, with everything up for grabs Sunday at 3 p.m. at Goodwin Field in Fullerton.
