Graig MantleThe Cal Poly baseball team opened its three-game series against San Diego State with a 9-5 loss Friday night at Baggett Stadium before winning both Saturday and Sunday to take the series.
Friday’s loss dropped Cal Poly (2-5) to 0-5 for the first time since moving to the Division I level in 1995.
The game began with San Diego State starter Donnie Hume and the Mustangs’ Marc Nobriga pitching two scoreless innings to start the contest.
The 33rd-ranked Aztecs (1-2) broke it open in the top of the third inning, capitalizing on three errors, two wild pitches and a passed ball.
“We didn’t do well in any facet of the game,” Cal Poly head coach Larry Lee said Friday. “We embarrassed ourselves tonight.”
The Aztecs parlayed four hits, including three singles, into a five-run inning and never looked back. San Diego State took on the look of its head coach, Hall of Fame elect Tony Gwynn. The Aztecs sprayed hits everywhere, some just out of the reach of Cal Poly defenders. When they were not hitting, the Aztecs were walking, waiting out 10 free passes during the game, which has been the crux for the young Cal Poly pitchers.
Nobriga finished the game with four earned runs and four walks.
Conversely, Hume was stellar. He managed six scoreless innings with two strikeouts and no walks.
Cal Poly was unable to score until the seventh frame when right fielder Grant Desme tagged a pitch from Aztecs reliever Shane Kaufman, sending the ball over the left-field fence.
Desme was the only bright spot for the Mustangs, going 3 for 3 with one RBI against his former team, needing only a triple to complete the cycle.
Desme echoed his coach when it came to evaluating the Mustangs’ performance.
“We need to do a better job of putting everything together,” he said. “We have to pitch, play defense and hit. You can’t have two things slipping every game like we have.”
The top of the order dominated for the Aztecs, with Brandon Decker, Troy Hanzawa and Garett Green going 6 for 16 with seven of the team’s eight RBI.
Cal Poly 11, SDSU 6 (Saturday)
Desme was 3 for 3 for the second straight day and the Mustangs didn’t look back after taking a 4-1 lead into the fifth inning.
Cal Poly reliever Andrew Slorp (1-0) got the win after allowing two runs in 3 2/3 innings.
Cal Poly 4, SDSU 0 (Sunday)
The Mustangs broke open a scoreless tie with all four of their runs in the eighth.
Cal Poly began that inning with Greg Swertfager and Desme drawing walks. The two runners advanced on Scott Domingues’ sacrifice bunt. After Brent Morel was intentionally walked, freshman catcher Wes Dorrell hit a three-run double to the wall in right-center field. Dorrell came home on Pat Pezet’s RBI double.
Desme reached base in 12 of 13 plate appearances during the series.
Cal Poly starter Thomas Eager (1-1) tossed a gem to earn the win, throwing eight scoreless innings in which he allowed two hits and walked two.