SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - Shortstop Nate Castellon knocked in three runs while second baseman Ryan Fenn and designated hitter Braxton Thomas both produced three-hit games as Cal Poly defeated Fresno State 11-6 inside Baggett Stadium.
It was the 12th time this year that the Mustangs have scored double-digit runs.
The result completed a sweep of the three midweek games played between the two schools this season. Cal Poly, which won its eighth straight midweek game and beat the Bulldogs 7-3 and 13-5 in March, improved to 28-11 while Fresno State fell to 19-21.
Castellon produced his fourth three-RBI game of the year with a first-inning single to left field, a third-inning sacrifice fly, and a seventh-inning safety squeeze bunt.
Fenn doubled once and singled twice for his eighth three-hit game of the season, knocking in one run, while Thomas, making his first start since March 25 at Pepperdine, contributed two doubles and a single for his second three-hit game of the year and a pair of RBIs.
Cal Poly earned its 13th come-from-behind win of the season by overcoming a 2-0 deficit in the first inning. A double from Fenn and a single by third baseman Alejandro Garza tied the score at 2-2 and the Mustangs, who sent nine men to the plate in the opening frame, added two unearned runs on RBI singles by Castellon and Thomas.
After Sky Collins homered to left leading off the second inning to close the gap to 4-3, Cal Poly pulled away with a run in the third (Castellon's sacrifice fly) and three more in the fourth (Garza sacrifice fly and a two-run single up the middle by center fielder Casey Murray Jr.) for an 8-3 cushion.
Fresno State was not done, scoring three times in the sixth — the key blow was a two-run triple into the right field corner by Owen Faust — to trim Cal Poly's lead to 8-6.
The Mustangs, however, scored another three-spot in the seventh to restore their five-run advantage at 11-6. Castellon's squeeze bunt tallied the first run, Thomas doubled for the second run and a wild pitch produced the final run of the game.
Besides Fenn and Thomas, Cal Poly's 14-hit offensive attack was also fueled by two-hit games from Garza and Murray.
Fresno State, the leader in the Mountain West Conference by two games over Nevada, New Mexico, and San Diego State, amassed 12 hits, including three each by Faust, Griffen Sotomayor, and Eddie Saldivar plus two from Collins.
The game featured the debut of Mustang junior southpaw Luke Kovach on the mound. He secured one out while allowing a walk and a single before leaving the game as a precautionary measure.
The Cabrillo High School (Lompoc) and Allan Hancock College (Santa Maria) graduate underwent Tommy John (elbow) and knee surgeries since his last pitching assignment for the Corvallis Knights in the summer of 2023.
Freshman left-hander Luke Kalfsbeek (3-0) earned the victory in relief of Kovach, allowing one run and three hits over 2 2/3 innings. Josh Morano, Chris Downs, Tanner Sagouspe, and Jake Torres also pitched for Cal Poly.
The loss went to Fresno State starter Tyler Patrick. Facing Cal Poly in all three games of the series, Patrick allowed four runs (two earned) and five hits in the first frame Tuesday, his only inning of work.
Making his first home start at first base since the Oregon State series March 21-23, Zach Daudet led off the first inning with a single to left field, extending his team-leading on-base streak to 17 games.
Cal Poly will now turn its attention to No. 12 UC Irvine, which visits Baggett Stadium for a crucial three-game Big West series Friday through Sunday. The Anteaters (29-9), who defeated No. 15 UCLA 5-3 on Tuesday, are 16-2 in conference games, one game ahead of the Mustangs (15-3).
Friday's game begins at 6 p.m., followed by Saturday's contest at 3 p.m. and Sunday's series finale at 1 o'clock.
(Article courtesy Cal Poly Athletics).
Cal Poly baseball scores double-digit runs again in win against Fresno State News Channel 3-12.
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