Cal Poly Baseball’s bats stayed hot but split their two-game mid-week series against San Diego State.
The Mustangs (15-12, 6-3 Big West) continued their winning ways against their non-conference opponent on Tuesday and almost completed a come-from-behind victory against the Aztecs (9-18, 4-8 Mountain West) in game two’s extra-inning loss.
Offensive surge continues
After starting the season with a 2-7 record, the Mustangs have since found their footing and boast a 13-4 record since their series against Utah in early March.
During Cal Poly’s first nine games, they struggled mightily to hit with two outs and with runners in scoring position.
It was one of the biggest reasons why they lost seven of their first nine games and it especially showed in their three-game road series against the University of Texas where they were swept.
The Mustangs didn’t score a single run in that series against the Longhorns and hit a combined .045 team average (1-for-22) with runners in scoring position, but they haven’t had that issue in this past 17-game stretch, especially in their first game against San Diego State.
In game one of their two-game mid-week series against the Aztecs, Cal Poly hit a .462 team average (6-for-13) with runners in scoring position en route to their 6-3 win on Tuesday night.
The Mustangs took a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the fourth inning, breaking the game open by scoring three runs courtesy of RBIs from junior catcher Ryan Stafford and senior first baseman Joe Yorke.
Stafford says that it was only a matter of time for this offensive production to become consistent after the team’s sluggish start.
“We have a very strong lineup and a number of guys off the bench that can swing the bat,” Stafford said.
This newfound offensive production has been paired with their consistent starting pitching and their back end of the bullpen.
Freshman lefty Josh Volmerding drew the start for the Mustangs and was relieved by redshirt senior Ryan Baum after three innings.
Baum threw four innings in relief, allowing one run on two hits, and one walk while striking out one Aztec.
Stafford and head coach Larry Lee consider this to be a bounce-back performance from Baum after some previous shaky outings to start the year as Lee stresses the importance of having relievers who are capable of getting big outs.
“Bullpens are so important, whether it’s in college baseball or professional baseball,” Lee said. “Bad bullpens are a recipe for disaster.”
Lee also cites the production of junior southpaw Jake Torres and redshirt sophomore right-hander Tanner Sagouspe, who each recorded a scoreless inning, as key pieces of his relief pitchers.
“It’s a good feeling,” Lee said of having relievers who can close out games in later innings. “And not only does a coach have a good feeling but [it’s important] for the team to have that same feeling.”
The Mustangs will look to keep their winning ways in game two against San Diego State and into their weekend series against UC Riverside.
“We just got that winning feeling,” Stafford said. “It doesn’t matter who we’re playing, we’re playing hard and finding a way to win ball games.”
Mustangs nearly complete extra-inning comeback
Some late-night Mustang magic ran out as the San Diego State Aztecs pulled out a ten-inning thriller ending in an 8-7 loss, despite a three-run ninth-inning comeback by the Mustangs in the second of a two-game series.
Cal Poly won game one handily 6-3 but was down from the opening in game two.
The Aztecs’ two-run start was followed by consistent scoring, and the Mustangs found themselves down 6-1 after four innings.
Battling in the fifth inning, the Green and Gold made up ground, shrinking the lead to two runs, 6-4. However, without a single baserunner in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings, hope seemed lost as the fans filed out of Baggett Stadium.
The Mustangs wouldn’t go down without a fight as sophomore outfielder Tate Shimao drew a leadoff walk to start the rally. Senior shortstop Aaron Casillas drew a walk of his own, and then by junior outfielder Cam Hoiland, and all of a sudden, the three walk-offs at Baggett Stadium had the potential to become four.
The third pitcher of the inning stepped to the rubber and proceeded with the same results, walking in two runs, cutting the deficit to just one run for the hottest man in the lineup, junior second baseman Ryan Fenn.
After battling, Fenn jammed a one-hoper to the second baseman, tailor-made for a game-ending double play. Not tonight; Fenn, sprinting out of the box, beat the turning throw and tied the game at seven with his third RBI of the day.
With the bases loaded again, two batters later, freshman Alejandro Garza grounded out on a full-count pitch to end the inning.
Determined not to be swept, the Aztecs struck back, manufacturing a runner to third for right-fielder Shaun Montoya to shoot one up the middle to take an 8-7 lead in the tenth inning.
Despite their three-run effort in the ninth, the Mustangs couldn’t find that same magic in the bottom of the tenth inning as San Diego State closed out the 8-7 final.
Freshman southpaw Christopher Downs made his second start of the year, pitching three innings, allowing four runs on five hits and five strikeouts, pushing his earned run average to 11.25 on the season.
The difference in this game was the first two innings in which defensive errors cost Cal Poly multiple runs.
In the first, Yorke couldn’t dig out Casillas’ potential inning-ending double play throw, which led to San Diego State’s runners on the corners advancing as Yorke quickly flipped his hips and fired home, but the ball ran up the third-base line as the runner easily slid in for the Atzecs’ second run.
Just as Yorke had the opportunity to end the first inning, junior backup catcher Mack Higuchi’s catcher’s interference on the potential third out ground ball set up a two-run base hit to extend the Aztecs’ lead to 4-1 in the second.
The Mustangs could have avoided all four runs if those mistakes did not occur.
Even in the loss, good performances came. Stafford, recently named the No. 17 best catcher in college baseball by D1Baseball, went two-for-four with a walk, two RBIs, and two stolen bases.
The Mustangs resume conference play this weekend on the road for a three-game series against UC Riverside beginning Friday, April 6.