The Cal Poly softball team went 1-4 over the weekend in the Silicon Valley Classic I, hosted by Santa Clara and San Jose State.
In their second tournament weekend of the season, the Mustangs fell to a 2-8 record. Just like the Mustang Classic, which took place last week from Feb. 6-9, Cal Poly took a close win in the final matchup after losing the first four games.
They fell to Colorado State, Santa Clara and twice to San Jose State before beating University of Illinois-Chicago 7-4 on Sunday.
Errors continue to be a problem for Cal Poly this season. The Mustangs have 18 errors this season through 10 games, equating to 1.8 defensive errors per game.
This rate is significantly higher than the 2024 season, in which Cal Poly committed 47 errors through their 45-game season.
With less than a month until the Big West season, the Mustangs look to tighten up their defense and secure starting positions on the field.
Extra innings victory
The Mustangs bounced back Sunday morning, defeating UIC 7-4 in extra innings.
Senior Paige Maier pitched a 10-inning complete game, striking out five with zero earned runs.
Cal Poly led 3-1 in the seventh inning, but UIC rallied to tie the game on a two-out triple by Dee Dee Caskey and an error by the Mustangs.
In NCAA softball, the international tiebreaker rule is in effect, meaning the ninth batter in the batting order is put on second base with no outs. Maier held UIC scoreless in extra innings before Cal Poly broke through in the 10th.
With the bases loaded in the top of the tenth, senior catcher Julia Barnett’s RBI single and a throwing error allowed two runs to score. Sophomore Mylina Garza then doubled, extending the lead to 7-3.
Maier allowed a two-out run in the bottom half before securing the win.
Offensive trouble against San Jose State
In the first game, San Jose State took control early, scoring four runs in the second inning. Cal Poly struggled to generate offense against Spartan starter Mia Reynolds, who retired the first 10 Mustangs.
Freshman outfielder Maddy Bermudez broke up the streak with a fourth-inning single, followed by a Julia Barnett hit, but the Mustangs failed to capitalize. San Jose State tacked on two more runs in the sixth to seal the 6-0 shutout.
The second game saw Cal Poly briefly take the lead in the third inning. Down 2-0, the Mustangs rallied when Barnett’s two-run double to right center tied the game. A fielding error on freshman pitcher Natalie Camarena’s grounder brought Barnett home, giving Cal Poly a 3-2 edge.
San Jose State responded in the fourth, loading the bases before a hit-by-pitch tied the game. Back-to-back RBI singles put the Spartans up 5-3 and extended that lead with another run in the fifth.
Cal Poly had opportunities late in the game, but didn’t take advantage of their baserunners in the final innings.
In the seventh, Bermudez tripled to lead off, and Barnett’s RBI single cut the deficit to 6-4, but the rally fell short.
Cal Poly returns home for a three-game series against Sacramento State, beginning Feb. 22 with a 1 p.m. doubleheader at Bob Janssen Field.
