Cal Poly tops UCSB to advance to Big West championship game
Three regular-season losses. One statement win.
Cal Poly answered UC Santa Barbara when it mattered most on Friday, beating the top-seeded Gauchos 4-2 in Irvine to punch their ticket in Saturday’s Big West Championship title game.
UCSB went into Friday’s matchup having swept Cal Poly in the regular season and coming off a 7-4 win over Cal State Fullerton on Thursday.
But it was Cal Poly who again advanced in the winner’s bracket after scratching out just three hits in Thursday’s 1-0 shutout over UC San Diego. On Friday, the Mustangs’ bats came alive while a battling Carson Turnquist kept them in the game on the mound.
UCSB’s loss sent the No. 1-seeded Gauchos to the loser’s bracket and left them facing a win-or-go-home game against UC San Diego on Saturday after the Tritons eliminated the Titans in the night game, 5-1.
Cal Poly pitcher works through control problems
Turnquist’s first inning had Cal Poly fans wondering if it would be a long afternoon.
The 2022 Paso Robles High School grad got off to a rough start by issuing a walk to Corey Nunez before hitting Santa Barbara’s Nate Vargas to put two on base. A wild pitch moved Vargas to second, and a walk to Rowan Kelly loaded the bases with just one out.
William Vasseur then drew a bases-loaded walk, bringing Nunez home for the game’s first run.
With control issues plagued Turnquist early and things threatening to get out of hand, the righthander got out of the jam by inducing an inning-ending double play.
“Carson went out, got himself in a jam early and minimized it, only gave up a run,” Head Coach Larry Lee said. “And that was big for us.”
What could have become a big inning and an early turning point for UC Santa Barbara instead shifted momentum back to Cal Poly.
In the top of the second, the Mustangs’ lineup responded immediately.
Gavin Spiridonoff doubled down the left field line before Cam Hoiland singled to move him to third.
Dante Vachini then stepped to the plate and laid down a safety squeeze bunt toward first base that allowed Spiridonoff to race home with Cal Poly’s first run.
The at-bats were a marked improvement from Thursday’s three-hit outing. The bigger concern, however, was coming from the mound.
UCSB’s only other damage came in the fourth inning, when Turnquist’s command faltered again. Two walks put runners on base before a single brought one home. It would be the last time the Gauchos scored.
But the Cal Poly pitcher stayed composed despite allowing two early runs and struggling with command on the mound.
“I give (Carson) a lot of credit for being able to turn that thing around,” UCSB’s Head Coach Andrew Checketts said. “To pitch into the sixth inning and be dominant towards the end of it, credit to him for being able to bounce back and get through that.”
Turnquist finished with seven strikeouts and a career-high 114 pitches before turning to Brady Estes in the bullpen.
Lee said the decision to change pitchers came down to balancing the moment with the rest of the tournament.
“Carson was really good until we took him out,” he said. “It was the right decision. If you pull the trigger too early and go to the bullpen, it probably affects you for the rest of the tournament.”
Sixth-inning push flips the game
Cal Poly had been knocking on the door all ballgame. In the sixth, they finally kicked it open.
Jake Downing got things started with a single through the left side. Then he took matters into his own hands by stealing second.
Hoiland kept the line moving with a single to left, putting runners at the corners. UCSB then made a pitching change, bringing in left-hander Chase Hoover out of the bullpen. But it didn’t matter.
With the moment on his shoulders, pinch-hitter Xander McLaurin stepped in and lifted a sacrifice fly to center. Downing came home, and just like that, the Gauchos’ lead was gone and the game was tied at two.
Cal Poly didn’t stop there.
The Mustangs pushed across another run in the seventh to take the lead. Another run in the eighth was just salt in the wound as UCSB hadn’t scored since the fourth.
If Thursday left any doubt about Cal Poly’s offense, Friday erased it.
The Mustangs came alive at the plate, combining aggressive baserunning with timely hits to keep the pressure on.
What looked like a shaky pitching performance early stabilized as Brady Estes and Nick Bonn shut the door in relief, with Bonn closing things out in the ninth.
“Today was just a new day,” Hoiland said. “Detaching the emotions from yesterday’s perceived struggles … coming out and building on that and remembering that we are good ballplayers. And keeping that confidence throughout, regardless of the result.”
Cal Poly now has two chances to clinch the title
Friday’s win sends Cal Poly to Saturday evening’s championship game., where the Mustangs will await the winner of Saturday morning’s elimination game between UC Santa Barbara and UC San Diego.
Should UCSB win Saturday afternoon’s elimination game, the two rivals would meet again in the championship, a rematch that would rekindle the Blue-Green rivalry on the biggest stage of the season.
“It sets us up for the best possible situation,” Hoiland said. “Just giving not only our pitchers but our position players and everybody a chance to play one less game and have a little bit more rest in.”
With the double-elimination format, Cal Poly still has a cushion if Saturday’s championship game does not go its way.
A loss would force a winner-take-all game Sunday, giving the Mustangs one more chance to defend their Big West title.
UCSB faces UC San Diego at 1 p.m. Cal Poly will play the winner at 6 p.m. All games are livestreamed on ESPN+.
This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 9:20 PM.