Going into Sunday’s series finale against CSUN, Cal Poly Baseball was knotted in a three-way tie at the top of the Big West standings.
Good pitching and timely hitting led the Mustangs (24-18, 15-6 Big West) to a 5-3 win over the Matadors (22-20, 11-13) to complete a three-game sweep and put them in sole possession of first place in the conference.
With losses from both UC Santa Barbara and UC San Diego on Sunday, Cal Poly now controls its own destiny moving forward, with nine conference games still at hand. A series sweep against an elite offensive team was what got them into that position.
Freshman Corden Pettey got the ball on Sunday, looking to rebound from a tough outing against UCSD. Pettey delivered exactly the performance that the Mustangs needed, striking out six in as many innings, with two earned runs charged to his line. After his previous start, Pettey tinkered with his approach to get himself back on track.
“[I was] working on some new things for the week,” Pettey said. “[I’m] pretty satisfied with results.”
Pettey was thrust into the rotation two months ago after injuries to fellow starters Josh Volmerding and Laif Palmer. There’s been ups and downs for the freshman right hander, but over the past few months he’s turned himself into a solid Sunday starter.
“Of course, it’s tough for people to go down, but [I’m] taking advantage of the opportunity, just feeling more comfortable every time I go out and start a game,” Pettey said.
CSUN struck first, getting a run in the third inning, but the offense picked up Pettey soon after, tying the game in the fourth on a Dante Vachini RBI single. Vachini had two RBI singles in the win, providing timely hitting when the Mustangs needed it.
Beginning the year as the starting left fielder and lead off man, Vachini’s role has changed a few months into the season. The sophomore had been out of the starting lineup for over two weeks until Sunday, when he capitalized on the opportunity.
“We have 12 really good hitters on our team, and only nine can play at a time,” Vachini said. “When it’s not your turn, you gotta sit there and root for the guy ahead of you. It was my turn today, and I just took advantage.”
Too many good hitters is a good problem to have if you’re Cal Poly, and Head Coach Larry Lee has been good about getting hitters their fair share of at bats.
Vachini’s two-hit day was part of a 10-hit performance for the Mustangs, pushing their series hit total to 34. Lead-off hitter Nate Castellon had his fingerprints all over the win, reaching base all five times up, drawing two walks to go along with three singles.
Catcher Ryan Tayman improved his home run total to 13, a 394’ shot to left, giving the Mustangs a lead they would not give back.
Troy Cooper and Nick Bonn combined for the final three innings for Cal Poly, securing the sweep.
“That was huge,” Pettey said. “Starter sets the tone, pass the torch, next guy up. They really came in and were ready to go.”
A sweep is always nice, but with Cal Poly’s positioning in the standings, it was even sweeter.
“[Getting the sweep is] huge,” Vachini said. “It’s really good ball club over there, and we’re just trying to stay at the top. We’re just trying to stack wins, and it’s gonna be really good for us going forward.”
Until at least Friday when they take on foe UC Irvine, Cal Poly will own first place in the Big West. The team will look to continue momentum before then, hosting Santa Clara for a midweek affair on Tuesday, April 28 at 4:05 p.m.