Cal Poly Baseball outscored Long Beach State 21-2 to complete a series sweep over the Dirtbags this past weekend at Blair Field.
The Mustangs (13-6, 6-0 Big West) have won eight straight games and swept both Big West opponents they have played so far.
Cal Poly has found stability in both their lineup and pitching rotation after both units were shaky at times to start the year.
With breakouts from upperclassmen like outfielder Casey Murray Jr. and catcher Jack Collins and impressive freshmen play from outfielder Dante Vachini and shortstop Nate Castellon, the Mustangs have formed a formidable lineup with a solid pitching staff to pair with.
Collins shows out against former team on Friday
Cal Poly Baseball used a big fourth inning to power their way to a 3-1 victory Friday, March 15 at Blair Field.
The Mustangs extended their win streak to six games but were hitless through the first three frames as the Dirtbags starter Kellan Montgomery was in a groove early.
In the offseason, junior catcher Jack Collins transferred to Cal Poly from Long Beach State. Collins had 21 at-bats in his sophomore year in Long Beach but has become a catalyst for the Mustangs both behind the plate and beside it.
Senior second baseman Ryan Fenn, back in the lineup after a four-game absence, led off the fourth inning with the Mustang’s first hit of the game.
Collins laced the first pitch he saw for his team-leading fifth home run of the season and made it 16-of-17 games with a hit in his Cal Poly career. His 26 RBIs lead the Big West.
The Mustangs capitalized on a two-out throwing error later in the inning. Freshman Jake Downing, who has earned play time in large part to him filling in for an injured Fenn, hit a two-strike single, scoring a run and making it five straight starts with a hit.
Murray Jr. had his fifth multi-hit game this season and scored on Downing’s RBI single.
The Mustangs only had six hits, which breaks a six game streak of double digit hits. However they were able to concentrate most of them in that three-run fourth inning.
Sophomore righty Griffin Naess took the ball for Cal Poly, turning in a much-needed start on the road.
Naess held the Long Beach offense scoreless through six innings, giving up just four hits but running into pitch count problems which necessitated a shorter start.
First out of the pen was freshman Troy Cooper, who ran into some trouble and balked in a run before being lifted for senior southpaw Jake Torres. Torres navigated the bases-loaded jam by getting the first batter to pop up before striking out the next to end the inning.
A clean eighth by Torres allowed junior closer Tanner Sagouspe to collect his third save of the season and a tie for the Big West lead in saves.
Saturday domination
While Friday’s total of three runs is not something to scoff at, for the Mustangs, it was the first time they scored less than five runs since the Texas A&M series.
Sophomore third baseman and reigning Big West Freshman of the Year Alejandro Garza started the scoring in the first inning with an RBI single. After a slow start to the season, Garza has settled down at the dish, recording 10 hits in the past five games.
Vachini doubled into the right-center gap to make it 3-1 in the fourth inning. Vachini has found a groove recently, recording a hit in the past four games.
Collins followed up Friday night’s performance with a program record of three doubles on Saturday. That catapulted him into the Big West lead for doubles with 12.
After four hits in the first five innings, Cal Poly came alive late in the game, plating six runs in the last four innings. Cal Poly scored three runs of each of the first three pitchers that the Dirtbags threw out there.
Sophomore lefty Josh Volmerding bounced back from two rough outings against Seton Hall and Fullerton with a quality start against Long Beach.
Volmerding gave up just one run that came on three straight singles with two outs in the first. Scattering two more hits across the remainder of his six-inning start.
Volmerding tends to go boom or bust with his starts, as he has given up one or zero runs in three starts and six in his other three starts.
Fellow sophomore lefty Chris Downs got the call out of the pen and was just as dominant.
Downs collected a three-inning save, giving up just one hit and one walk. Both he and the offense provided a day off for both high-leverage arms in Sagouspe and Torres.
Sunday shutout
Cal Poly baseball earned their first shutout of the season, finishing a series sweep of Long Beach State on Sunday with a 9-0 victory.
The Mustangs have showcased their high-octane offense lately, reaching double-digit hits 10 times in the last 12 games.
On Sunday, a Zach Daudet two-run homer got the Mustangs on the board in the third inning, the first homer of a four-home-run day for Cal Poly.
Vachini hit his first collegiate homer, while Murray Jr. and Braxton Thomas added solo shots of their own.
The blast was the third homer of the season for Murray Jr. after a junior year where he had none. Thomas, who showed his power stroke in limited action last season, hit the first of his sophomore campaign.
Sophomore Ethan Marmie got the start in the series finale and was dominant. Marmie’s final line was seven innings, five hits allowed, no runs, and six strikeouts.
Marmie has shown his ability to work deep into games, with four of his five starts being seven innings or more.
Despite a rough outing against UCLA in his first start of the season, when he allowed seven runs, Marmie has been dominant, giving up seven runs in his last four starts combined.
Marmie’s start to the season has been a revelation for manager Larry Lee and staff, who now have a formidable young duo at the top of the rotation with Marmie and Naess.
The Mustangs have a big test coming up when they face No. 6 Oregon State for a three-game set at Baggett Stadium. The clash between the Mustangs and Beavers will begin on Friday, March 8.
