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Cal Poly ends brief homestand with 2-0 victory over CSU Bakersfield

Posted at 10:19 PM, Feb 26, 2019
and last updated 2019-02-27 02:52:38-05

Conagher Sands and Elijah Greene knocked in runs with two-out singles, Matt Arens and Dylan Villalobos turned in strong pitching performances in relief and Cal Poly “turned” three double plays en route to a 2-0 victory over CSU Bakersfield on Tuesday night inside Baggett Stadium.

Arens (1-0) tossed 3 2/3 scoreless innings of one-hit baseball in relief of starter Chase Watkins for the win while Villalobos earned his first save with four scoreless frames on the mound, scattering two hits and striking out seven.

With the win, Cal Poly wrapped up a four-game homestand, completed the two-game midweek series sweep with the Roadrunners — the Mustangs won last Tuesday 7-1 in Bakersfield — and improved to 2-6 on the year. CSU Bakersfield, which has scored just four total runs in its last five games, fell to 2-7.

Cal Poly broke the scoreless duel in the fifth as Dylan Doherty and Cole Cabrera both drew two-out walks and Greene singled to left-center field to give the Mustangs a 1-0 lead.

In the Mustang sixth, also a two-out rally, Nick DiCarlo doubled down the left-field line and came home on Sands’ second hit of the game, a single to left-center field.

Collecting his first two hits as a Mustang, Sands was the lone player in the game with multiple hits. John Mackay added a double for Cal Poly while Will Picketts and Ryan Koch both doubled for CSU Bakersfield.

The loss went to Roadrunner starter Isaiah Moten (0-1) as he allowed three hits and four walks over five innings, striking out three and giving up the first run of the game.

Cal Poly turned double plays in the fourth, sixth and ninth innings.

In the fourth, Cole Valletta hit what appeared to be a sacrifice fly to right field, Picketts tagging up from third and scoring. But the Mustangs appealed and Picketts was called out for leaving third too early.

Two innings later, CSU Bakersfield had runners at first and second with one out when Picketts lifted a fly ball to shallow left field. Doherty and left fielder Cole Cabrera converged on the pop-up and it fell in between them. Doherty alertly picked up the ball and threw Tyler Jorgensen out trying to advance from second to third.

The umpires held a conference and ruled that Picketts’ fly ball was an infield fly and he was called out. Since Jorgensen advanced at his own risk and was thrown out at third, the double play was completed.

In the ninth with one out and Koch at second with a double, pinch hitter Sergio Robles lined into an inning-ending double play, Mustang second baseman Connor Gurnik catching the ball and throwing to Doherty covering second base for the final out of the game.

The Mustangs played errorless defense for the first time this season after committing 15 errors in their first seven games.

Cal Poly plays a three-game non-conference series at Washington this weekend in Seattle. The Huskies, College World Series qualifiers a year ago, are 4-2 so far this spring, losing two of three games at UC Irvine two weeks ago and sweeping a three-game series against Northern Colorado last weekend in Phoenix.

Provided by Cal Poly