The Cal Poly baseball team lost its eighth out of the last nine games on Tuesday night, falling 9-5 to Fresno State.
The Mustangs (26-21, 7-8 Big West) had a chance to win the game in the ninth inning, but a groundout by freshman shortstop Kyle Marinconz stranded three runners and ended the game, marking Cal Poly’s fourth straight loss.
A total of five Cal Poly pitchers took the mound against the Bulldogs (33-17, 19-8 Mountain West), including four in the seventh inning alone. Freshman starter Bobby Ay pitched 4.2 innings and gave up six earned runs. The setback knocked Ay’s ERA up to 5.40.
The Bulldogs had the opportunity to score more than nine runs, but the Mustangs’ defense kept its composure despite its two-error performance. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth inning, reliever Thomas Triantos induced an infield fly and flyout to end the inning.
The Mustangs recorded nine hits in the game. Marinconz, senior center fielder John Schuknecht and junior third baseman Michael Sanderson each contributed two hits. Freshman right fielder Nick Meyer brought in two of Cal Poly’s three RBIs.
With 10 games left in the regular season, the Mustangs still have a mathematical chance to regain their first place slot in the conference, though it’s unlikely.
The Mustangs kick off a three-game series against UC Irvine at 6 p.m. on Friday in Baggett Stadium. Tune into mustangnews.net Friday at 6 p.m. to watch live coverage of Cal Poly baseball taking on UC Irvine.