Needing a win on Sunday to keep UC Irvine within reach and stave off third-place Cal State Fullerton, Cal Poly Baseball held the lead late but dropped the series finale 10-8 at Baggett Stadium.
It’s the first sweep suffered by the Mustangs (28-14, 15-6 Big West) since 2023 in a home series to UC San Diego. The Anteaters (32-9, 19-2 Big West) have shot into a commanding four-game lead for first in the Big West with just nine games left to play.
Cal State Fullerton (23-20, 14-7 Big West) completed their sweep of UC Davis to pull one game back of the Mustangs for second in the Big West. Cal Poly does hold the tiebreaker over Fullerton after Cal Poly swept them earlier in the year.
Throughout the past two Big West series, it’s been evident how the Mustangs have struggled to play complementary baseball.
What was once a strength for Cal Poly seems like a low commodity to come by, as the team is now 5-6 in their last 11 games.
On Friday, both teams seem identically matched, especially when comparing their situational hitting. The two teams had even averages on hitting with two outs, runners in scoring position and with runners on base.
It was a different story on Saturday, however, as the Anteaters outmatched the Mustangs in every single one of the categories mentioned above.
Sunday’s loss showed UC Irvine was simply the better team. Cal Poly put up great numbers in those statistical categories and scored eight runs, the most runs they’ve scored in the last seven Big West games.
But the Anteaters put up even better numbers with the addition of three Mustang errors.
It was an offensive battle from the outset as neither starting pitcher made it through the second inning.
Sophomore righty Ethan Marmie gave up a run in both the first and second innings, walking the bases loaded in the second frame before being lifted.
It was a similar story for Anteater starter Ryder Brooks. Back-to-back innings with the bases loaded were too much for head coach Ben Orloff to stomach, and he, too, was relieved.
A two-RBI single in the home half of the third from freshman shortstop Nate Castellon tied the game at 4-4.
UC Irvine would take the lead back on an RBI-double, but sophomore third baseman Alejandro Garza would answer with a leadoff home run in the fifth, before two more runs would come across.
Even in innings where runs were not scored, a lot of traffic seemed to pop up on the base paths for both teams; there was only a single 1-2-3 inning throughout the game.
With the score knotted at seven and a runner on second, senior second baseman Ryan Fenn smashed an opposite field double off the right field wall to take an 8-7 lead heading into the ninth.
Senior lefty Jake Torres had given up just two unearned runs in his three previous innings of work in the game, and came out in the ninth to try and lock it down.
He gave up a first-pitch single to lead off the inning before hitting the next batter with the pitch.
After a popped-up bunt was collected for the first out, head coach Larry Lee turned to senior closer Tanner Sagouspe to get the final two outs.
Sagouspe got UC Irvine’s most dangerous hitter, Colin Yeaman, to pop up for the second out of the inning.
The next hitter went down to their last strike before being hit by a pitch to load the bases. The next batter worked a full count walk to score a run to tie the game.
Finally, Rowan Felsch, who pinch ran earlier in the game, roped a single into center to score two and land the knockout blow on the Mustangs.
Senior right fielder Dylan Kordic was hit with a two-out pitch, but the Mustangs couldn’t get the tying run on base as they fell 10-8.
There is no time for the Mustangs to dwell on the sweep as they have to travel to Santa Clara on Tuesday, April 29, at 5 p.m. at Stephen Schott Stadium.
