Cal Poly erupts for a 5-run fifth inning in win over Santa Clara
Cal Poly returned home to Baggett Stadium on Tuesday evening after sweeping CSUN over the weekend and stretched its winning streak to four games with a nonconference win over Santa Clara.
The Mustangs sit atop the Big West standings (25-18, 15-6 Big West) just ahead of UC San Diego.
Cal Poly shut out Santa Clara 7-0 shutout, with freshman Sean McGrath taking the start on the mound.
McGrath’s ability to mix pitches effectively has made him a reliable option for the Mustangs in midweek starts, and Tuesday was no exception.
The right-hander went five innings and struck out six batters. But perhaps most impressive was how he neutralized Santa Clara’s largely left-handed lineup.
Despite the matchup disadvantage, McGrath kept the Broncos off balance all night, surrendering just two hits.
“He’s getting a lot of experience in these midweeks,” Head Coach Larry Lee said. “He’s part of our future. With the loss of a couple of players due to injury, we’re relying on as many pitchers as we can.”
The bullpen was handled by Chris Downs, Arlo Pendleton and Luke Kalfsbeek, who combined to finish off the shutout.
But Tuesday night belonged just as much to the bats.
The Mustangs got off to a slow start, with both teams held scoreless through the first three innings.
Cal Poly finally broke through in the fourth when Dylan Kordic drove in an RBI, bringing home Casey Murray Jr. to put the Mustangs on the board.
That spark was all they needed.
Cal Poly carried that momentum into the fifth inning, when the offense broke the game open.
Alejandro Garza doubled to left-center, scoring Nate Castellon from second base. From there, the runs kept on coming.
Jake Downing followed with a double to deep center field to bring home Garza. Santa Clara turned to the bullpen hoping to stop the bleeding, but the pitching change did little to slow the Mustangs down.
Ryan Tayman doubled down the left-field line to score Downing, and Kordic capped the inning with a run-scoring single that brought Tayman home, pushing Cal Poly’s lead to 6-0.
Castellon homered homered in the sixth to left field to close out the scoring.
“We have the ability to roll a special lineup,” Lee said. “Our offense has really picked it up.”
Garza, coming off a Big West Field Player of the Week honor, leads the Mustangs with a .360 batting average, to go with five home runs and 39 RBIs on the season. Cal Poly’s team batting average of .306 also leads the entire Big West conference.
The Mustangs hit the road again this weekend for a series at UC Irvine, followed by a midweek trip to Santa Clara.
Cal Poly will then travel to face Cal State Fullerton in a conference series before a midweek matchup against Fresno State. The Mustangs return home on May 14 for the final series of the regular season against Long Beach State.
With the regular season winding down, Lee made clear that the margin for error is shrinking. He noted that while some bullpen arms have performed well, others have not been as sharp as they once were.
In a double-elimination format like the Big West Championships coming up, pitching depth can make or break a run for the defending champs.
“Every win is important,” Lee said. “We have nine conference games left, and we can’t afford to have any hiccups.”