Cal Poly baseball team clinches Big West series against UC Irvine with 17-5 victory

Senior right fielder John Schuknecht hit a grand slam and drove in six runs, and the Cal Poly baseball team exploded offensively Sunday in a 17-5 win over UC Irvine at Baggett Stadium.

Schuknecht finished 2 for 4, scored twice and raised his Big West Conference-leading RBI total to 43 on the year.

Nick Meyer and Brett Barbier also hit home runs for the Mustangs, who improved to 28-22 overall and 9-9 in the Big West.

Junior right-hander Justin Calomeni (4-2) allowed two runs on seven hits and two walks, striking out 11 in the win. Freshman Bobby Ay pitched the final three innings and earned his first save.

Cal Poly tallied 16 hits off seven UC Irvine pitchers, and freshman Alex McKenna led the way with a 3 for 6 outing. Six players had two hits apiece, including sophomore designated hitter Josh George, who sat out 10 straight games earlier this month with a shoulder injury.

Adam Alcantara and Cole Kreuter had two hits each to pace the Anteaters (28-21, 8-10 Big West).

Cal Poly begins a four-game road trip at 6 p.m. Tuesday against CSU Bakersfield. The Mustangs then go to UC Riverside for a three-game series beginning Friday.

This story was originally published May 15, 2016 at 5:25 PM with the headline "Cal Poly baseball team clinches Big West series against UC Irvine with 17-5 victory."