For the second game in a row, the Cal Poly baseball team used six pitchers in a loss, as it fell 8-5 to Pepperdine in a non-conference game at Baggett Stadium on Tuesday night.
Five of the Waves’ scores came in a decisive third inning, which was opened with catcher Trent Diedrich being hit by a pitch and rightfielder Donald Brown drawing a walk.
The bases were loaded after third baseman Bryce Mendonca reached on a walk before designated hitter Matt Aidem singled through the left side to plate the first run.
Left fielder Eric Thames then scored Brown with a grounder to first base, before shortstop Chase d’Arnaud laced a three-RBI double to center field.
Right-hander Brian Grening (3-5) surrendered five earned runs while walking and striking out three apiece through three innings of work.
A quintet of other Mustangs would take the mound, two days after Cal Poly resorted to utilizing six pitchers during a 12-9 loss at Cal State Fullerton on Sunday.
Although Cal Poly (23-27) tallied its first run in the ensuing frame on a groundout by rightfielder Ryan Lee, the Waves (33-16) tacked on three more runs in the fifth.
Left-hander Scott Alexander (6-3) allowed two runs, scattered four hits with four walks and struck out seven in six innings.
Fellow southpaw Jordan Durrance yielded a mere hit and struck out four in the closing 2 1/3 innings for the save.
Mustangs centerfielder Logan Schafer blasted a two-run home run down the right-field line in the seventh inning before first baseman Wes Dorrell doubled down the right-field line to score second baseman Pat Pezet and complete the scoring.
Cal Poly will begin its last home series of the season by opening a three-game fray with Long Beach State at 6 p.m. Friday.
First pitch Saturday is also scheduled for 6 p.m., with Sunday’s start slated for 1 p.m.