Cal Poly Baseball earned a much-needed series win over UC Irvine last weekend, taking two out of three games against the Anteaters (21-25, 10-14 Big West).
The Mustangs (27-20, 17-7) dueled the Anteaters six times last season, including three games in the Big West Championship tournament. Cal Poly won the final two matchups after losing the previous four, securing a conference title.
Neither team has played at last year’s level, especially the Anteaters, who have seen significant regression, both offensively and defensively. UC Irvine won the Big West regular-season title, but is not in the mix to repeat.
Looking to make it three straight wins against UC Irvine after last year’s championship, Griffin Naess took the mound on Friday night at Anteater Ballpark. Naess ran into trouble early, giving up a three-run homer in the second inning after the Mustangs had grabbed a lead. Naess was unable to settle into a groove but still worked into the sixth inning, allowing five runs in five 1/3 frames.
Cal Poly’s bullpen faced a similar fate, letting six runs cross the plate in their time on the mound. Freshman Arlo Pendleton was the exception, tossing 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
Offensively, Ryan Tayman hit home run number 14, which is tied for first in the Big West. The blast was one of just two extra-base hits on the day for the Mustangs, who scored four runs. UC Irvine ran away with the game in the later innings, resulting in an 11-4 victory.
On Saturday, everything clicked for Cal Poly. Carson Turnquist turned in an incredible start, with just one hit allowed over five scoreless innings. Turnquist walked four, elevating his pitch count, but limited the damage overall and struck out five batters. Josh Volmerding pitched a scoreless inning in relief, his first appearance since March 15, after dealing with an injury.
Five Mustangs had multi-hit performances en route to a 15-hit, 11-run explosion from the offense. Dylan Kordic had two extra-base hits, including a home run, while Nate Castellon and Casey Murray Jr. both had three-hit days. Cal Poly evened the series in dominant fashion: an 11-2 win.
Freshman Corden Pettey earned the start in a pivotal rubber match on Sunday, in what would be the closest game of the series. The game was tied five separate times, with neither team ever firmly in control. The biggest lead by either team came courtesy of a three-run homer by Dante Vachini to open the scoring in the second inning.
Each pitching staff used exactly three pitchers, and only one of them had a scoreless outing: Nick Bonn. Bonn picked up his first win of the season with three shutout innings to end a rollercoaster game, an 8-6 Mustang win.
Dylan Kordic homered for the second straight game, while Nate Castellon joined the homer club with a bomb of his own. The offense kept producing in timely situations, with the ninth inning no exception. Tied at six, the Mustangs rallied for two runs and claimed the final lead of the game.
Cal Poly sits firmly in first place in the Big West with six conference games still at hand. UCSB trails by just one game, setting up for an exciting finish.