It took more than half the season, but with a victory in the final game of a three-game series against Cal State Northridge (20-15, 2-4 Big West), the Mustangs (10-23, 3-6) tallied their 10th win of the season — a feat that took last year’s team 14 games to accomplish.
To date, Cal Poly has never had to wait this long to get victory number 10 in its 16-year Division I history. The previous mark was set just two years ago, on April 9, when it took The Mustangs 27 games to grab double-digit victories.
In the win, Sunday afternoon, junior right-hander Eugene Wright pitched 7 1/3 innings on the mound while senior left fielder Luke Yoder singled four times to lead Cal Poly to a 5-3 victory.
In the first, the Mustangs led off with a Yoder single and a walk by Bobby Crocker. Both scored on infield ground-outs to push Cal Poly to a 2-0 Cal Poly lead.
Cal Poly then poured on the offense. David Van Ostrand’s bases-loaded two-run double to the gap in right-center field in the fifth inning lifted the Mustangs to a 4-0 advantage and Yoder’s two-out single to left in the sixth gave the Mustangs a 5-0 lead.
A pair of infield errors helped Cal State Northridge score three unearned runs in the seventh, but Wright worked out of the jam, secured the first out in the eighth inning and turned the ball over to relief pitcher Frankie Reed for the final five outs of the game. After pitching six scoreless innings, Wright (1-2) allowed three runs, all unearned, in the seventh inning. He walked two and struck out six to earn his first win as a Mustang.
The loss went to Cal State Northridge freshman right-hander Alex Muren (2-1), who gave up four runs and four hits in five innings with six walks and three strikeouts.
On Saturday, C.J. Belanger’s three-run triple into the right-field corner capped a four-run Cal State Northridge rally in the eighth inning as the Matadors snapped an 8-8 tie to defeat Cal Poly 12-8.
Cal Poly started early; a line drive sacrifice fly to center field by D.J. Gentile gave Cal Poly a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but early leads have not been a good sign for the Mustangs. Cal Poly is now 3-11 in games in which it has scored in the first inning.
Cal State Northridge built a 7-2 advantage by the end of the fifth inning.
The Mustangs tallied three runs in the sixth on an RBI double by Gentile and a two-run double by David Van Ostrand and tied the game in the seventh at 7-7 on a solo home run by Crocker and a triple by Matt Jensen.
After the Matadors took an 8-7 lead in the bottom of the seventh, Yoder’s RBI single to left field in the eighth tied the game again at 8-8 but Cal State Northridge regained the lead in the bottom of the eighth on Ryan Pineda’s run-scoring single up the middle, setting the stage for Belanger’s heroics.
Jensen was the lone Mustang to garner more than one hit.
Reed, the second of three Cal Poly pitchers, took the loss, falling to 0-4, allowing three runs and four hits in three innings in what was actually one of his best mound stints this season. Starter DJ Mauldin surrendered seven runs and seven hits in four frames.
Jimmy Jolicoeur (4-0) picked up the win in relief for the Matadors. He allowed one run and two hits Saturday.
On Friday, Cal Poly’s two home runs, one double and four RBIs by center fielder Adam Melker fell short as Cal State Northridge rallied for a 10-9 victory.
Melker hit a solo home run in the second inning, doubled in a run in the sixth and his two-run home run in the eighth tied the game at 8-8. He entered the game with just one career home run – in 2008 at Cal State Fullerton.
The Mustangs scored another run in the eighth on Bobby Crocker’s sacrifice fly to center field, taking a 9-8 lead.
But sophomore relief pitcher Jeff Johnson, gave up the tying and go-ahead runs in the bottom of the eighth on RBI doubles by C.J. Belanger and Ridge Carpenter as the Matadors bounced back for the win.
Johnson had been pitching well before Friday’s game. He pitched four innings against UC Riverside and 3 1/3 innings against UC Santa Barbara – striking out seven in each stint and getting both victories.But on Friday, Johnson gave up two walks and two hits, both doubles, in the eighth inning as the Matadors rallied for a pair of runs and the victory.
Starting pitcher Matt Leonard’s performance was a different story.
Leonard, continued the dominance of his last three starts, allowing just two earned runs over 18 innings, surrendered six runs (three earned) and seven hits in four innings Friday.
At the plate, Melker was the only Mustang with more than one hit, going 3-for-4 with two home runs, a double and driving in four runs. He is the 33rd Cal Poly player to hit two or more home runs in a game since the Mustangs moved to Division I in 1995.
Cal State Northridge outhit Cal Poly 13-9, led by Carpenter and Brad Decatur, each with three hits. The Matador offense included seven doubles, a triple and Carpenter’s second home run of the season.
Cal Poly will return to the diamond next weekend as they travel to Cal Sate Fullerton for a three-game conference series.