EUGENE, Oregon. - Arizona overcame Cal Poly's 10-2 advantage in hits, scoring three times in the second frame while three Wildcat pitchers made that output just enough for a 3-2 victory in the opening round of the NCAA Eugene Regional on Friday at PK Park.
Coach Larry Lee's Mustangs tallied single runs in the sixth and eighth frames to make it a one-run game but stranded nine runners on the basepaths, including a fourth-inning bases-loaded opportunity and two runners on base in the fifth and sixth frames.
Cal Poly (41-18) will play Oregon or Utah Valley in an elimination game Saturday at noon. Arizona (40-18) faces the Oregon-Utah Valley winner at 6 p.m.
The Mustangs collected double-digit hits for the 38th time in their last 52 games, but Arizona jumped to a 3-0 lead on an RBI triple by Tommy Splane and a two-run home run off the bat of Easton Breyfogle, his fifth of the year, in the second inning.
After the blast, Cal Poly sophomore right-hander Griffin Naess retired 14 consecutive Wildcat batters to keep the Mustangs in the game. Naess (7-3) would go on to finish seven innings against the Big 12 Tournament champions, allowing just the three runs and two hits with three walks and five strikeouts.
Cal Poly scored a run in the sixth inning as Casey Murray Jr. produced his second leadoff double of the game, took third on a groundout and came home on Dylan Kordic's single to left-center field.
The Mustangs closed the gap to a single run in the eighth on Cam Hoiland's fifth home run of the season, a shot to left field with one out.
Dante Vachini led off the ninth with a single up the middle, but Arizona closer Tony Pluta notched a strikeout and a game-ending double play grounder to third base to close out the game and earn his 13th save of the year.
Cal Poly loaded the bases with two outs in the fourth inning but a called third strike ended the threat. The Mustangs also had runners on first and third with two outs in the fifth and first and second with one out in the sixth, but a comebacker and a line drive to left resulted in inning-ending outs respectively.
Sophomore righty Owen Kramkowski (9-5) went seven innings for the victory, allowing one run and eight hits with a walk and seven strikeouts. Garrett Hicks allowed the run in the eighth before Pluta closed it out in the ninth.
Jake Torres pitched a 1-2-3 eighth in relief of Naess for Cal Poly.
Cal Poly's 10 hits included Murray's two doubles, extending his hitting streak to 16 games. Hoiland and Vachini each added two hits while Ryan Fenn stretched his hitting streak to 19 contests with a first-inning single.
(Article courtesy of Cal Poly Athletics)
Missed opportunity for Mustangs as they drop opener at NCAA Regionals to Arizona News Channel 3-12.
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