Cal Poly grabbed the broom and dustpan from the storage shed at Baggett Stadium Sunday afternoon, sweeping Sacramento State in a three-game weekend series.
Following a 9-2 win on Friday and an 11-5 obliteration on Saturday night, the Mustangs took to the field with confidence, ultimately ending in a 6-2 win. Sophomore right-hander Matt Leonard pitched exceptionally well in his second start, after a lukewarm performance against Rice last week.
Leonard, a talented flamethrower capable of throwing in the 90 mile-per-hour range, started off hot, with five strikeouts in the first three innings. Leonard escaped a tense fourth inning, leaving two Hornets stranded on base with no runs scored. The Hornets didn’t garner any offensive firepower against Leonard until sophomore catcher Brent Hottman launched a bomb directly into the hood of a pick-up truck in the parking lot behind the left-field wall.
Leonard left the game in the seventh inning, giving up only two hits and two runs and recording six strikeouts. With this win, he is 1-0 as a starter.
“I felt pretty good about my performance,” Leonard said. “I was able to come out early and throw strikes and put up some zero’s on the board. I gave my offense a chance to score some runs.”
It took a few innings for the Mustangs’ offense to acclimate to sophomore right-hander Brandon Sandoval. In the bottom of the third inning, freshman right fielder Bobby Crocker had a solid base hit and preceded to steal second base. Sophomore designated hitter DJ Gentile sent him home with a base hit to put the Mustangs up 1-0.
The Mustangs’ offense exploded in the sixth inning. Junior catcher Wes Dorrell got things rolling with a deep double that bounced off the right field wall. The Hornets subsequently sent senior right-hander Nick Buchta to the mound.
He didn’t help their cause.
Junior left fielder Luke Yoder drove Dorrell home with a deep single to center field. Freshman second baseman Matt Jensen followed with a base hit and RBI to shallow right field. Later in the inning, with zero outs, sophomore third baseman J.J. Thompson drove two more runners home with a deep double to center field. By the end of the sixth inning, the Mustangs led the Hornets 6-1.
The top of the seventh inning had some tense moments for the Mustangs. The Hornets loaded the bases with zero outs against junior right-hander Mark DeVincenzi, who relieved Leonard. However, they only produced one run, which came off a clutch double play made by the Mustangs.
The rest of the game was smooth sailing. The Mustangs’ closer, senior right-hander Kevin Castner, secured a 6-2 victory with two strikeouts and no hits.
The Mustangs saw great production in the ninth batting spot from junior shortstop Kyle Smith who went 2-3 on the day, raising his batting average to .462 for the season. Yoder went 2-4 with two singles and an RBI. Their defense was almost perfect the entire series, with only one error.
“So far we’re doing what we’re supposed to do,” said Mustangs head coach Larry Lee. “Winning three is tough and I think our players have some confidence. It’s a great group, the hardest working group I’ve had since I’ve been here. They’ve bought into our philosophy of baseball and because they’ve worked so hard they deserve success.”
After an opening day loss to then-No. 3 Rice, the Mustangs have reeled off six straight victories and haven’t looked back. They have a tough game ahead of them Tuesday night at 5-0 San Jose State.
“(San Jose State) is a quality opponent, just like everyone else on our schedule,” Lee said. “Mid-week games are a little different because some pitchers on our staff are unavailable to throw, so we’ll see how it turns out.”