SAN LUIS OBIPO, Calif. - Right fielder Dylan Kordic tied a school record by driving in eight runs, half of them with a fifth-inning grand slam, and Cal Poly pounded out 21 hits for the third time this season in a 16-7 romp past UC Riverside on Saturday inside Baggett Stadium.
The victory completed the Mustangs' sixth Big West series sweep of the 2025 campaign, propelling Cal Poly to 37-16 overall and 23-7 for second place in conference play. Cal Poly finished one game behind UC Irvine (39-13, 24-6 Big West), which outlasted Cal State Fullerton 12-10 on Saturday at Cicerone Field.
In winning eight of 10 Big West series for the second straight year, Cal Poly's runner-up finish is the eighth in Larry Lee's 23 seasons as head coach, including five in the last eight full campaigns. The Mustangs have won 35 or more games for the ninth time in Lee's tenure.
UC Riverside closed an early 4-0 deficit to 5-2 before Kordic belted his big fly off the batter's eye well over the 405-foot sign in center field. UC Riverside scored five times in the sixth to pull within three runs at 10-7, but Cal Poly regained control of the game with four runs in its half of the sixth and added two more in the eighth.
Key hits in the game for the Mustangs were a two-run single up the middle by left fielder Dante Vachini in a four-run second-inning rally, a two-run home run to left by third baseman Alejandro Garza in another four-run uprising in the sixth and a two-run double by Kordic to right-center field in the eighth. Garza and Kordic each have six homers for the year.
Kordic and center fielder Casey Murray Jr. added RBI singles while Kordic and second baseman Ryan Fenn contributed sacrifice flies.
Kordic equalled the record of eight RBIs in a single game set by Steve Pettit against Westmont College in 2004.
Kordic finished 4-for-4 at the plate, his second career four-hit game as a Mustang. He also was 4-for-4 against Ohio State in 2024. Murray also had four hits Saturday, all singles, his first at Cal Poly.
Fenn produced his 14th three-hit game of the year, including a double. Vachini (fourth), shortstop Nate Castellon (ninth) and designated hitter Cam Hoiland (fourth) all had three hits as well — Castellon with two doubles -- as Cal Poly accumulated double-digit hits for the 34th time in its last 46 games.
With seven of the nine starters collecting at least one hit Saturday, Cal Poly has received hits from at least seven of its nine starters eight times in its last nine games, including all nine on three occasions. The Mustangs have hit .418 in those eight games with 28 doubles, nine home runs and a slugging percentage of .611 and an on-base percentage of .486.
Cal Poly scored double-digit runs for the 18th time this season and outscored the visiting Highlanders 36-21 in the three-game series. With four rallies of two or more runs Saturday, the Mustangs have posted crooked numbers 96 times in 53 games.
For the weekend series, Vachini was 10-for-14 with three RBIs and three runs scored while Fenn went 8-for-13 with six RBIs and six runs scored. Castellon and Murray both were 7-for-14 at the plate, Castellon driving in four runs, while Garza went 6-for-14 with three home runs, five RBIs and six runs scored.
Pitching in just his third game of the season, junior lefty Luke Kovach (1-0) earned his first victory as a Mustang, tossing three innings with six strikeouts and no walks, allowing a run and two hits. Josh Morano tossed 2 1/3 scoreless frames in relief, with Ethan Marmie throwing a scoreless ninth frame.
The loss was charged to UC Riverside starter Nolan Milliman (2-3), a senior right-hander who gave up four runs and six hits in one inning of work on the mound. Center fielder Robert Pitts homered twice and singled once to lead the Highlanders offensively. He was 5-for-14 in the series.
Cal Poly, which swept Cal State Fullerton in a Big West series in March at Baggett Stadium, will face the host Titans on the second day of the Big West Conference Championship on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Goodwin Field. The Mustangs will be the second seed and the Titans are seeded third.
Also on Thursday, top-seeded UC Irvine plays the winner of Wednesday's first-round game between fourth-seeded UC Santa Barbara and either Hawai'i or UC San Diego at 3 p.m. The Rainbow Warriors and Tritons play a one-game winner-take-all contest Sunday to determine the final entrant in the tournament. That game was scheduled for Sunday due to graduation ceremonies at Hawai'i on Saturday.
(Article courtesy of Cal Poly Athletics)
Cal Poly sweeps Riverside behind record-tying run production by Kordic News Channel 3-12.
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