Cal Poly Baseball cruised to a 7-0 victory in the final midweek home game of the season, defeating Santa Clara on Tuesday.
The Mustangs (25-18, 15-6 Big West) swatted six extra-base hits, two more than the total number of hits the Broncos (16-27, 5-13 West Coast) had for the game.
Pitching dominated the first three innings as neither team was able to put any offense together.
Dylan Kordic knocked in the first run of the game in the fourth with an RBI single. The hit continues his return to the form he displayed throughout the 2025 season, when he knocked in 42 runs.
It was the fifth inning when Cal Poly really broke the game open.
Dante Vachini scored in the inning on a wild sequence. He led off the frame with a double, then advanced to third after a flyout, when the throw into the infield bounced off him and kicked away from the Santa Clara defense. He was singled in by Nate Castellon on the next pitch.
That play was just the beginning as the Mustangs collected three more doubles in the frame and put up a five-spot. Cal Poly was third in the nation in doubles heading into the contest with 111.
Castellon got on the board again in the sixth with a rocket shot into the trees in left field to make it a 7-0 game. A three-hit performance for Castellon means he has 16 hits in his last seven games.
“I made a couple swing adjustments, and they have been paying off,” Castellon said. “I’ve been riding that out; it’s led me to some success, so I’m sticking with it. Got to shout out [hitting coach] Jason Gill for that one.”
On the other side of the ball, Sean McGrath drew the start against a Santa Clara lineup that featured all lefties or switch-hitters to gain the platoon advantage against the freshman right-hander. It didn’t seem to affect him one bit as he cruised through five innings of scoreless baseball, giving up just two hits and striking out six Broncos.
Chris Downs threw scoreless sixth and seventh innings, Arlo Pendleton tossed a scoreless eighth, and Luke Kalfsbeek shut the door in the ninth to end the game.
It was just the second shutout of the season for a pitching staff that has endured numerous injuries throughout the year, and a strong offensive showing backed it. It was the kind of dominance on both sides of the ball that the Mustangs have lacked, but the team is starting to round into form at the right time.
Cal Poly Baseball embarks on an eight-game road odyssey, starting with a weekend series against a UC Irvine squad that is fighting for its postseason lives. That series from May 1-3 is taking place at the site of the Big West Baseball tournament: Anteater Ballpark.
