Cal Poly again faces elimination after 3-2 loss to Arizona in NCAA Regional opener
Down by one run and at risk of falling into the loser’s bracket, the Mustangs stepped to the plate in the ninth inning on Friday with everything to play for.
Cal Poly was still alive with a shot to steal the NCAA Regional opener and the top of the order coming up, but Arizona’s defense held on, silencing the Mustangs’ hope for a rally with a game-ending double-play.
No. 3 Cal Poly (41-18) ultimately came up just short, falling 3-2 in a battle with No. 2 seeded Arizona (40-18) at PK Park in Eugene, Oregon.
Cal Poly outhit Arizona 10-2, but it didn’t translate to the scoreboard. The Wildcats capitalized early with a three-run second inning, and that would be all they needed to hand Cal Poly a frustrating loss in its NCAA Regional opener.
Known for leading the nation in triples, Arizona struck first with a three-bagger from Tommy Splaine that brought in the game’s opening run. Just moments later, a two-run homer by Easton Breyfogle extended the Wildcats’ lead to 3-0 and ultimately proved to be the game-winner.
Cal Poly managed to get runners on base throughout the game but struggled to bring them home when it counted. Despite creating multiple scoring opportunities, timely hits were hard to come by. Missed chances with runners in scoring position proved to be the difference.
Casey Murray Jr. gave Cal Poly its first real momentum, lining a ground-rule double to open the second inning. The Mustangs had a prime scoring opportunity, but the heart of the order couldn’t follow through, and Arizona responded with three straight strikeouts to end the threat.
It was the first of several missed chances to bring runners home.
In the fourth, Cal Poly loaded the bases with two outs, but Jack Collins struck out to end the threat. And in the fifth, the Mustangs put runners on the corners with two outs but failed to score.
Cal Poly finally broke through in the sixth inning when Dylan Kordic delivered a run-scoring single to left field, bringing home Murray Jr. from second.
Two innings later, Cam Hoiland stepped up and launched a solo shot over the left field wall, cutting Arizona’s lead to 3-2 and giving Cal Poly one last late-inning opportunity.
It seemed like the momentum was shifting, and with the top of the order coming up, the Mustangs appeared poised to mount a late rally, opening the top of the ninth with a single by Dante Vachini, before Zach Daudet struck out and Ryan Fenn hit into the game-ending double play.
All told, Cal Poly struck out 10 times and left a total of nine runners on base—missed chances that loomed large in the narrow loss.
While the offense was struggling to break through, starting pitcher Griffin Naess gave Cal Poly every chance to stay in the game.
Making his first appearance since the Big West opener against Fullerton, Naess was locked in, retiring 14 straight batters at one point and limiting Arizona to just the pair of hits — both in the second inning.
Naess pitched seven full innings before handing the ball to reliever Jake Torres, who pitched a scoreless eighth.
From the looks of the Big West Championships, Cal Poly has proved it has the pitching depth to compete in a multi-day tournament.
But that depth will be tested now more than ever, with the possibility of playing up to four more games in the regional.
The Mustangs will face the loser of No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 4 Utah Valley tomorrow at noon in a win-or-go-home match-up. The game will be live-streamed on ESPN+.