Cal Poly Baseball was defeated by non-conference opponent Fresno State 8-6 on Tuesday, April 30 inside Bob Bennett Stadium. The comeback victory was Fresno State’s second over Cal Poly this season.
The defeat places the Mustangs below the .500 mark with an overall record of 20-21.
Cal Poly dominated the first half of Tuesday’s match after scoring all six of their runs before the Bulldogs touched home plate. Freshman designated hitter Conagher Sands registered two RBI in the first inning to drive in junior Bradlee Beesley and sophomore Tate Samuelson. Sands’ double in the top of the first inning extended his hitting streak to 16 games. Sophomore third baseman Nick DiCarlo added another run in the next inning with his first career home run.
DiCarlo struck again in the top of the fourth inning with his second career home run — a 2 RBI blast over the left-field wall. Beesley followed up with a sacrifice fly RBI to grant Cal Poly a 6-0 advantage heading into the bottom of the inning.
However, the Bulldogs went on to total eight hits in the remainder of the game compared to Cal Poly’s four. Fresno State notched two runs in the fourth, added three more in the sixth, and completed their comeback with a final three runs in the eighth. Bulldog second baseman Nolan Dempsey led Fresno State’s offensive effort with two hits and four RBI. Demsey’s three run home run in the sixth inning cut the Bulldog’s deficit to one run before breaking away in the eighth.
The win was granted to Fresno State sophomore Oscar Carvajal (4-0) for pitching a scoreless eighth inning with one strikeout. Carvajal was one of six pitchers used by the Bulldogs in the match. Sophomore right-hander Dylan Villalobos (1-3) was given the loss after allowing the three-run eighth inning scoring drive.
The Mustangs (10-2 Big West) still sit atop of the Big West Conference with sole possession of first-place. Cal Poly is currently one game ahead of second-place UC Santa Barbara (9-3 Big West).
Cal Poly returns to conference play with a three-game series against Hawai’i from May 3-5 inside Baggett Stadium.