Cal Poly Softball secured their third consecutive series win as they defeated UC Santa Barbara in two out of three games from Bob Janssen Field.
The three-game series was supposed to kick off with a Friday doubleheader but was moved a day forward to avoid rain coming into the area. The Mustangs (17-11, 7-2 Big West) began play against the Gauchos (11-19, 5-4 Big West) with a doubleheader on Thursday, followed by the series finale Friday morning.
After a back-and-forth first game that resulted in a 10-6 win in favor of the Mustangs, they found themselves in another extra innings thriller in the second game. Just last weekend, UC Riverside bested the Mustangs in 10 innings. This time, the team broke through in the bottom of the tenth for a 4-3 win.
Junior center fielder Jessica Clements continued her offensive tear, as she added four hits in the series to sustain her Big West-leading average of .505.
The Mustangs now sit second in the conference behind Cal State Fullerton, holding an 8-1 record in Big West play.
Offense explodes in back and forth victory
In a game where Cal Poly scored in every inning but the second, their 14-hit attack was led by sophomore left fielder Kiara Blanchard’s three-hit, two-RBI day while three other Mustangs had multiple hits.
After UC Santa Barbara took a 4-3 lead in the fourth, the Mustangs answered with two consecutive singles from Blanchard and senior right fielder Juju Sargent. Senior designated player Mia Perez loaded the bases with a four-pitch walk, and then sophomore third baseman Mylina Garza tied the game with a run-scoring single.
With the bases still loaded, Santa Barbara would keep the game tied as they threw out Blanchard at home on a ground ball to second. The next batter, junior first baseman Malia Mah, was hit by a pitch, scoring Perez and giving the Mustangs a 5-4 lead.
After throwing four innings, allowing three earned runs and striking out four, sophomore pitcher Sophia Ramuno was relieved by junior Paige Maier. Maier kept the Gauchos at bay, allowing just one hit between the fifth and sixth innings.
In the bottom of the sixth, Cal Poly gave their relievers plenty of insurance as they broke the game open with four runs, extending the lead to 10-4.
Highlighting the sixth inning was a two-out, two-run single from senior shortstop Xiara Diaz.
In the top of the seventh, junior Kate Judy relieved Maier to secure the save and the first win of the series.
Mustangs secure series win with extra innings walk-off
In the bottom of the tenth, after not having scored since the first inning, the Mustangs loaded the bases with one out in a 3-3 tie.
With freshman third baseman Sehren Martinez representing the winning run on third base, Sargent stepped up to the plate. She grounded a ball to second base, which was misplayed and allowed Martinez to score and walk off the Gauchos 4-3.
It’s the team’s fourth walk-off of the season and their second game that has gone into 10 innings.
The Mustangs once again were quick to answer UC Santa Barbara’s lead, as they responded to a 1-0 first-inning deficit with RBI hits from Diaz, Sargent and Perez to make it 3-1.
Judy got the start in the circle, allowing just two runs through six innings. In the top of the seventh, she couldn’t close the door on their Blue-Green rival as she conceded one more run which tied the game at three apiece.
With the go-ahead run on third, Ramuno relieved Judy and induced a fly ball to send the game to extras. Ramuno would then strike out six Gauchos over the next three innings. She was also awarded the win for this game, putting her record at 7-5.
Even with the win, the Mustangs were troubled by timely hitting once again. They stranded thirteen base runners for the second game in a row.
Offense lulls in series finale
After racking up 27 hits in two games on Thursday, the Mustang bats went cold Friday morning as they tallied only four hits. They never led in the 5-1 loss, unable to secure the series sweep.
With the Gauchos holding onto a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth, the Mustangs threatened as they loaded the bases behind infield singles from Diaz and Blanchard. Garza then walked on four pitches to cut the lead in half, but the next two batters popped up, leaving the bases loaded.
Ramuno, who boasts the second-highest strikeout count in the Big West at 93, had six strikeouts through four innings. She also has the conference’s seventh-lowest earned run average (ERA).
After Ramuno conceded a walk and a single in the top of the fifth, Judy came in for relief and the Gauchos plated three runs to extend their lead to 5-1.
Garza looked to start a rally in the seventh with a lead-off double, but UC Santa Barbara shut them down and that was the game.
The Mustangs will hit the road once again as they take on Hawai’i for a three-game series starting at 8 p.m. on Friday, April 5 followed by a doubleheader the next day.