After a tough series loss to Blue-Green rivals UC Santa Barbara over the weekend, Cal Poly Baseball bounced back by completing the split series sweep against Fresno State Tuesday at Baggett Stadium, 11-6.
The Mustangs (28-11) remain undefeated in midweek contests and made it 8-2 against the Bulldogs (19-21) in their last ten matchups.
After falling out of first place in the Big West and poor offensive performances this past weekend, the offense looked back at its previous dominant state, plating 11 runs on 14 hits.
The offense returning to form is crucial, especially for Cal Poly’s upcoming three-game set against No. 12 UC Irvine.
Offense returns to form
Cal Poly exploded out of the gate against Fresno State. Facing a 2-0 deficit in the first inning, the offense sent all nine hitters in the lineup to the plate, scoring two runs before taking advantage of a two-out error by Fresno State to plate two more.
Senior second baseman Ryan Fenn got the party started with a rocket shot double to plate a run.
“Our coach just told us head level line drives,” Fenn said. “I don’t think we tried to get too big, so that is why we were successful.”
The Mustangs got a run off a sac fly in the third, before scoring three runs in both the fourth and seventh to plate double-digit runs for the 12th time this season.
Sophomore designated hitter Braxton Thomas closed the scoring with an RBI double off the wall in right before scoring on a wild pitch later in the inning.”
“I swung over a curveball and I was like ‘Oh I gotta kind of lock in here’,” Thomas said. “Then just worked the count and ended up hitting a double.”
Thomas and Fenn both led the way with three hits, and sophomore third baseman Alejandro Garza bounced back with his 22nd multi-hit game of the season.
Bullpen game powers win
Junior lefty Luke Kovach’s return from Tommy John surgery was unfortunately cut short by an injury just three batters in, extending the load on the bullpen for what was already going to be a bullpen game.
It did not appear that Kovach re-injured his elbow as he had awkwardly stumbled off the mound attempting to field a bunt attempt.
Freshman lefty Luke Kalfsbeek relieved Kovach. It was his third time seeing Fresno State, which is a rarity in college. It appeared that the Bulldogs had figured Kalfsbeek out; both of Kovach’s runners scored on a two-out single.
The lead-off hitter of the second inning sent the first pitch into the left field tree line. After that, it was smooth sailing for Kalfsbeek, who turned it over to fellow lefty sophomore Josh Morano for two scoreless innings.
Sophomore southpaw Chris Downs got the call for the sixth inning and ran into trouble. For the first time since the second inning, the Bulldogs got on the board, with two-out hits plating three runs and forcing head coach Larry Lee to turn to senior righty Tanner Sagouspe to escape the jam.
Senior lefty Jake Torres got the ball with one out in the eighth to close it out, holding Fresno State scoreless the rest of the way to secure the 11-6 victory.
Cal Poly hosts a ranked UC Irvine squad in a series that will be a significant factor in deciding the Big West regular season champion. That series starts Friday, April 25, and runs through Sunday, April 27, at Baggett Stadium.
