College Roundup: Cal Poly women beat UCSB, improve to 4-1 in Big West tennis

With overwhelming doubles play and victories at the top three singles slots, the Cal Poly women’s tennis team was able to squeak out a 4-3 win over visiting UC Santa Barbara in a Big West Conference dual Friday.

Mustangs senior Steffi Wong pulled out the most competitive singles match, swinging the team score with a 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-0 victory against the Gauchos’ Jordan Dockendorf at No. 3 singles.

Cal Poly (8-2, 4-1 Big West) took two of three doubles sets as the Mustangs’ No. 2 team of Wong and freshman Alexa Lee remained undefeated on the season.

UC Santa Barbara (4-8, 1-1 Big West) won the singles matches at Nos. 4, 5 and 6.

“The strength of their lineup is the depth in the bottom of their lineup,” Cal Poly head coach Hugh Bream said. “They’re just all tough and deep at the bottom, and our experience at the top really showed.”

Cal Poly’s top two singles players — Brittany Blalock and Suzie Matzenauer — each earned straight-set victories and teamed up for an 8-3 doubles win.

Blalock and Matzenauer have been rotating at the No. 1 and No. 2 slot this season.

“I feel like they’re so close that the right thing to do at least for now is to alternate them,” Bream said, “If one of them makes that definite move, moves into the top 20 in the country, then we’ll go for that one, but right now, I think it works well.”

One of the two will get a shot at Pacific’s junior ace Jenifer Widjaja when the Tigers visit for a 9:30 a.m. dual Sunday.

Widjaja, a former WTA player who was ranked as high as 186th in the world, made the NCAA singles tournament last season.

BASEBALL

Cal Poly 8, Utah Valley 6

Ross Brayton had three hits, scoring twice and knocking in three runs as the Mustangs beat Utah Valley at the Coca-Cola Classic in Surprise, Ariz.

Luke Yoder added two hits and two RBI, including a solo homer for Cal Poly (4-5).

Kyle Anderson won his first game of the season, throwing 71⁄3 innings and allowing six runs on 12 hits with five strikeouts. Frankie Reed pitched 12⁄3 scoreless innings in relief to pick up his first save.

Utah Valley (4-5), playing in its second full season of non-provisional status in Division I baseball, committed four errors, leading to three unearned runs.

SOFTBALL

Cal Poly 4, Buffalo 2;Cal Poly 9, UTEP 1, 5 innings

Stephanie Correia hit a bases-clearing double, and freshman right-hander Rebecca Patton struck out eight for her first collegiate victory in Cal Poly’s opening game of the San Diego Classic.

The Mustangs (5-5) got strong outings from both starters, as junior Anna Cahn allowed three hits while striking out five in a complete game in the nightcap.

Sara Kryza was 3 for 3, driving in three runs, and Correia added two hits and an RBI against UTEP.