After getting swept by then-No. 7 Oregon State, which saw Cal Poly Baseball narrowly drop two of the three total games by a margin of three or less runs, the Mustangs decided to take their anger out in a 7-3 triumph over Pepperdine.
With the victory, the Mustangs (18-16, 10-5 Big West) secured their third consecutive midweek victory of the season, with their last loss in a midweek match having come on March 25 in a narrow 7-8 loss against Loyola Marymount.
Cal Poly has also officially secured the season series win over Pepperdine. In the first clash between the two programs just over a month prior, the Mustangs trounced the Waves in a 12-2 victory. Cal Poly will face off against Pepperdine one more time in the regular season on April 21 in another midweek matchup.
Reliever revolution
Sophomore Luke Kalfsbeek was given the starting nod for the evening but struggled to find a rhythm against Pepperdine. Kalfsbeek allowed the first three batters to reach base before recording an out. Kalfsbeek allowed three hits and two walks for two runs in the first inning alone. By the time the third out had been recorded, Kalfsbeek had thrown 30 pitches.
The sophomore pitcher made a brief reappearance in the second inning before being replaced by freshman Sean McGrath.
McGrath’s efficiency was shaky – he threw 72 pitches across four and-a-third innings – but the results were nothing short of dominant. McGrath allowed an unearned run to score in his first frame of work but buckled down for the rest of his outing.
Across his 19 total batters faced, McGrath retired 13, including six strikeouts to match his career-high of strikeouts thrown, which he had set just the week prior in his first official start as a Mustang.
“I feel like I’m competing at a higher level now,” McGrath said. “I just went out there and was able to compete and really execute my pitches, which is what I’m aiming to keep doing.”
The ensuing Mustang relievers were equally as dominant. Junior Josh Morano entered the game in the seventh inning and allowed just one baserunner across two innings pitched.
Morano had arguably the cleanest outing of the four total Cal Poly pitchers used. He was the only Mustang on the bump to toss an inning without allowing a baserunner, retiring three consecutive batters in the seventh inning via foul out, fly out and strikeout.
Sophomore Troy Cooper shut the door on the Wave in the ninth inning, issuing a leadoff walk before clinching the victory for Cal Poly by way of a popup and double play.
Overwhelming offense
The Mustangs’ offense, similar to the pitching, found themselves beginning at a leisurely pace. Held hitless through the first two frames while their counterparts stacked a three-run deficit across four hits, Cal Poly mustered their first run in their half of the third inning by way of a Braxton Thomas leadoff double and a two-out RBI bloop single from Alejandro Garza.
The real damage, however, would be done in the fourth inning. Two consecutive hits put Mustangs at the corners to begin the inning, which would be capped off by a three-run home run by Dylan Kordic to give Cal Poly its first lead of the game.
The hit was Kordic’s third home run of the season, and second home run in as many games. Of his three home runs, two allowed the Mustangs to either tie the game or take the lead.
Ryan Tayman would join Kordic as the only other Mustang to leave the yard, belting a two-run shot to left field to extend Cal Poly’s lead 6-3. Tayman would tack on his third hit of the evening in the latter half of the seventh inning with his third RBI of the night in the form of a single to increase the Mustangs’ lead to four runs.
Garza would be the only other Mustang to tally three hits in the game, notching two singles and a double for one RBI. The true junior is arguably the hottest hitter in the Cal Poly lineup, having bolstered his batting average 100 points over the past 16 games to a team-leading .369.
The secret to the Mustangs’ high-powered offense is captured in three words: total team offense.
“We are always simplifying,” Kordic said. “We’re always trying to get base runners because you can’t hit a three-run homer in a leadoff position. It’s just a matter of passing the torch and keeping it one guy at a time.”
A shot at the top
Cal Poly will play arguably their most difficult in-conference opponent in their upcoming weekend series against top-seeded UC San Diego in La Jolla. With just a game separating the two programs, the Mustangs will have a shot at claiming the top spot of the Big West.
UCSD is currently at arguably their most vulnerable position since conference play began, having fallen in their last three games. The Tritons have not dropped three or more consecutive games since early March, in which they were losers in six consecutive contests.
Game one will be on Friday, with the three-game series scheduled to take place across the weekend. First pitch will be at 6 p.m.