Cal Poly Softball was swept by Cal State Fullerton this weekend in a three-game home series. The Mustangs and the Titans faced off in one game on Friday, April 30 and a doubleheader on Saturday, May 1 at Bob Janssen Field.
Over the entire series the Titans (34-12, 18-0 Big West) outscored the Mustangs (10-19, 4-14 Big West) by a margin of 30-2, with both Saturday doubleheader games ending after five innings.
Friday
On Friday, Cal Poly fell by a score of 5-0 to the number one team in the Big West.
Junior left-handed pitcher Krystyna Allman got the start for the Mustangs, but picked up the loss on the day moving her season record to 5-10. Allman collected two strikeouts and one walk over six innings of work, while also giving up five earned runs on eight hits.
Senior right-handed pitcher Dakota Casper finished the game by only allowing one hit in her single inning on the mound.
Junior right fielder Lily Amos led the Cal Poly offense with two hits. She was the only Mustang player with multiple hits on the day. Redshirt junior center fielder Noellah Ramos was the only other player to reach base twice in the game, by way of a hit and walk.
Fullerton took an immediate lead on a triple that brought in a run in the top of the first inning. That was the first lead change of the game, and it would also be the last. This set the tone for the game, as well as the series.
In the fourth inning with two outs Fullerton managed to get a runner on. The next batter sent a ball down the left field line which was good enough for a double and an RBI. After another single in the next at bat the Titans held onto a 3-0 lead.
Later in the game Fullerton continued to add to their lead by scoring two more runs in the sixth inning. The extra runs were no more than cushion as Cal Poly did not score at all leaving the final score at 5-0.
The Mustangs were only outhit 9-7 in the game, but they could not turn their hits into runs. Fullerton would take a 1-0 series advantage moving into Saturday’s double header.
Saturday Game 1
The Mustangs could not change their luck moving into the double header. In the early game the Mustangs fell again, this time by a score of 10-0. The game was called after five innings.
Allman got the start again with a chance to bounce back after Friday’s loss. Unfortunately it was more of the same, and Allman’s record dropped to 5-11. She had a strong outing by recording two strikeouts with two walks over four and two thirds innings pitched. Allman also gave up six runs, only four of them earned, on eight hits.
Casper once again came in for relief of Allman, this time midway through the fifth. She pitched the final out of the inning and gave up four runs, three earned, on five hits.
The Mustang offense could not get going in the game as they recorded only two hits, whereas the Fullerton offense managed thirteen.
Allman recorded a strikeout with two runners on base in the top of the first to end the inning. In the second, both squads left one runner on base.
Fullerton’s first lead didn’t come until the third inning, and it took two Cal Poly errors to make it happen. A runner who reached second base on a fielding error, later scored on a sacrifice fly. The second run scored was also from a baserunner who reached on an error.
Fullerton blew the game open in the fifth when they scored eight runs. This put the game out of hand for the Mustangs, and with no offense in the bottom half of the inning the game was called.
The Mustangs hoped to turn the tide in the second half of the double header.
Saturday Game 2
The second game was more of the same for both teams. Cal Poly dropped the final game of the series 15-2, as this game was also called after five innings.
Senior right hander Shelby Jeffries started for Cal Poly. Jeffries had a short day on the mound, making it through two thirds of an inning and giving up five earned runs on four hits.
Jeffries walked the leadoff batter, who scored on a single from the next at bat. The next batter hit a home run to stretch the lead to 3-0. After retiring the next two batters Fullerton hit another two-run homer to maintain a 5-0 first inning lead.
Cal Poly countered with some offense of their own in the first. After two runners reached on a fielder’s choice and a hit by pitch, freshman second baseman Xiara Diaz doubled into left field to bring both runners home.
However, Fullerton put up two more runs in the second inning to re-establish a five run lead.
The game got out of hand in the third inning when Fullerton added another five runs. Three of them came on a home run from Fullerton’s Kelsie Whitmore, her second of the game and one of four Titan home runs in the game.
Fullerton added another three runs in the fifth to leave the final score at 15-2. Casper and senior right hander Danielle Reyes pitched the final four and one thirds innings after Jeffries was pulled. The two pitchers combined to pitch four and one thirds innings, and give up three walks, eleven hits and ten runs, six of them being earned.
The Mustangs will look to bounce back for their final road series of the season when they play UC Davis on Saturday, May 8 and Sunday, May 9 at La Rue Field.