Fourth inning sinks Cal Poly in 6-0 shutout loss to UC Santa Barbara

A Blue-Green Rivalry showdown returned to Baggett Stadium on Thursday night, but one inning was all it took for Cal Poly baseball to watch the game slip away.

Cal Poly has made a habit of winning series openers this season, with the only exceptions coming against Campbell and USC in February. Thursday night broke that trend, as UC Santa Barbara (17-10, 6-4 Big West) secured a 6-0 shutout win over Cal Poly (17-11, 10-3 Big West) to open the series.

Much of the credit belongs to UC Santa Barbara pitcher Jackson Flora, but the game turned in the fourth inning when there was still a lot of time left to play.

What had been a steady outing from Griffin Naess slipped in the top of that fourth inning, as UC Santa Barbara strung together quality at-bats and turned a quiet game into a deficit Cal Poly couldn’t climb out of.

What looked like a routine foul ball down the left-field line stayed fair, and suddenly, the inning unraveled.

Back-to-back hits had already brought in two Gauchos, and the misplayed ball allowed two more to score as UC Santa Barbara seized control up 4-0.

Naess remained on the mound as the inning stretched, clearly struggling.

Four runs crossed before the bullpen began to stir. By the time freshman left-hander Brady Estes was called in, the momentum was firmly on the Gauchos’ side.

Naess finished with 3-1/3 innings, allowing four runs and striking out two. Estes inherited a difficult spot, and his first moments didn’t slow the damage. UC Santa Barbara continued to capitalize on the situation that forced the pitching change in the first place.

Estes walked a batter to load the bases, then issued another walk that forced in a fifth run. A strikeout and a flyout to center field finally ended the threat that would prove to be the difference.

That sequence defined the rest of the night, and UC Santa Barbara did not need more beyond the fourth.

The Gauchos were largely held in check the rest of the way and did not record another hit until the eighth inning, when they added an insurance run.

Cal Poly used four pitchers on the night. Estes followed with 2-2/3 innings and four strikeouts before right-hander Troy Cooper entered and threw 2 innings with two strikeouts. Right-hander Sean McGrath closed the game with a single inning and one strikeout.

Cal Poly never found a response at the plate to rally a way back into the game. The Mustangs managed just four hits and failed to string together any offense.

Flora made sure of it.

The right-hander controlled the Mustangs from the first pitch to the last, tossing a complete-game shutout with nine strikeouts. He ended the night with three straight strikeouts, extending his scoreless streak to 34 consecutive innings and lowering his ERA to 0.69 over 52.1 innings this season.

For Cal Poly, it was a sharp contrast to earlier outings, including Naess’ 14-strikeout performance earlier this season. On Thursday, one inning was all it took to prove to be the difference.

The Mustangs will have a chance to bounce back in the series with games set for Friday and Saturday.

This story was originally published April 3, 2026 at 10:25 AM.