In a rain-filled series, Cal Poly Baseball took two out of three games from Big West rival CSU Bakersfield.
The Mustangs (20-14, 11-4 Big West) split Friday’s doubleheader before clinching the series in walk-off fashion against the Roadrunners (11-24, 6-9 Big West) on Monday.
The series was rescheduled multiple times due to rain in the San Luis Obispo area, with Saturday’s game moved to a Friday doubleheader and Sunday’s game pushed back a day to be played on Monday.
After the series win, Cal Poly is now tied for first place in the Big West Conference with No. 17 ranked UC Irvine.
Starting the doubleheader off Wright
Redshirt sophomore lefty Jakob Wright took the mound for game one of Friday’s doubleheader.
The Roadrunners jumped out to an early lead after a bases-loaded groundout in the first inning.
That would be the only offense CSU Bakersfield got off of Wright through five innings while the Mustang offense was held hitless.
That changed in the bottom of the fifth when Cal Poly jumped on Roadrunner starter Gary Grosjean.
Senior shortstop Aaron Casillas led off the frame with a single before two quick outs. Senior center fielder Jake Steels reached base before junior catcher Ryan Stafford doubled them in to take the lead.
Redshirt junior second baseman Ryan Fenn continued the party by singling in Stafford before senior first baseman Joe Yorke ended the festivities with an RBI single of his own.
CSU Bakersfield was not out of the woods yet as Stafford punched a two-out, two-RBI single and made it a 6-1 game in the sixth inning.
Wright would be lifted after giving up a run in the seventh inning for redshirt senior Ryan Baum, as Wright finished the day with 120 pitches.
Cal Poly would get the run back in the eighth as Stafford again singled in a run for a career-high five-RBI game while Baum shut down the Roadrunner offense and sealed the game at 7-2.
Doubleheader ends in a split
Cal Poly baseball dropped game two of the doubleheader to CSU Bakersfield, 5-0.
After the Mustang offense boasted seven runs earlier Friday afternoon, the offense struggled to replicate their production a few hours later against the reigning Big West Pitcher of the Week, Ryan Verdugo.
The Mustang offense mustered seven hits against Verdugo but couldn’t string any together to create a formidable rally. The Roadrunners’ starter went seven scoreless innings before the bullpen did the rest.
After several rough starts, Mustang starter Steven Brooks has settled back into a groove, continuing Friday evening.
It was a funky start for Brooks, as he hit five batters in his seven innings of work while only allowing four hits.
“I think I got to be a little bit sharper at times, but sometimes, the ball just doesn’t go where you want,” Brooks said. “I was able to pitch out of it so it wasn’t that big of a deal.”
Pitching out of trouble was a huge theme for Brooks tonight, and it started early.
At the top of the first, two immediate Roadrunner hits put runners on the corners with no outs, and Brooks struck out the next two batters before inducing a pop-up to end the frame.
Leadoff runners would reach for the Roadrunners’ in two of the next three innings but Brooks continued to leave them stranded.
“I think a lot of [getting out of tough spots] is just trusting your stuff and your defense,” Brooks said. “If you go execute the pitch you should be able to get the result you want.”
Bakersfield would strike for two runs off of Brooks in the seventh, but he limited the damage, finishing the inning and his outing at 107 pitches.
The Roadrunners would tack on their last three runs in the eighth and ninth innings against junior southpaw Jake Torres to put the finishing touches on a shoutout victory.
Mustangs secure the series win in walk-off fashion
Cal Poly Baseball hosted the final game of their home series against Big West rival CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners on Monday, April 15, at Baggett Stadium.
Monday’s contest was rescheduled from Sunday after rain in the area forced both teams to play a day later.
The Mustangs, fresh off a muddy doubleheader on Saturday, looked to bounce back after suffering a 5-0 shutout loss to the Roadrunners in their second game of the doubleheader on Friday evening.
Freshman righty Griffin Naess struggled early after giving up four runs in the first inning before he was pulled in the top of the fourth in favor of Baum.
Baum is only a couple of weeks removed from earning a Big West Pitcher of the Week nod in the first week of April.
Ryan Baum has found his spot in relief efforts for Cal Poly, pitching his fourth scoreless appearance in a row with nearly four innings of work before being replaced for sophomore Tanner Sagouspe in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Sagouspe closed out his second-longest appearance of the season without allowing a run, his fifth time in the last six games putting a zero in the box score.
Stafford had a sluggers night out on the diamond, hitting two home runs off of Roadrunner starter Kellen O’Connor to get the Mustangs within one in the bottom of the fifth.
Yorke and Steels continued their success at the top of the order, with both of them going 2-for-4 on the day. Yorke extended his hitting streak to nine games in a row with his two singles.
In a pinch-hit effort in place of junior outfielder Casey Murray Jr, sophomore outfielder Cam Hoiland hit his first collegiate home run to tie the Mustangs and Roadrunners up at four apiece in the bottom of the seventh inning.
After going hitless in the first ten innings, former Roadrunner Casillas belted a shot into left field to walk off Cal Poly in the bottom of the 11th.
The home run marks Casillas’ first of the season as the Mustangs now sit with a record 2-2 in extra innings games on the season.
Cal Poly will look to get back into action Tuesday evening, as Santa Clara will come into Baggett Stadium to take on the Mustangs at 5 p.m.