Cal Poly’s Matt Jensen moved back to his more familiar defensive position at second base in the final game of the Collegiate National Team (CNT) Trials and belted a grand slam in the top of the sixth inning, lifting the Red team to a 5-3 win over the Blue squad. With the win, the Red team won the six-game series with a 3-2-1 record. The Blue squad finished 2-3-1.
Despite the grand slam, Jensen was not placed on the final 22-man roster announced late Sunday by manager Bill Kinneberg (Utah) and his coaching staff — Dave Serrano (Cal State Fullerton), Ed Blankenmeyer (St. John’s) and Nino Giarratano (San Francisco).
Trailing 3-1 in the sixth, Jensen turned on a fastball from Erik Sommerville (Francis Marion) and sent it over the left field wall, clearing the bases for the Red team to complete the comeback.
Peter O’Brien (Bethune-Cookman) and Drew Maggi (Arizona State) recorded back-to-back singles to start the frame and Nick Martini (Kansas State) drew a bases-loaded walk before Jensen lifted his first homer, the fourth of the trials. O’Brien hit two home runs earlier in the week and shortstop Nolan Fontana (Florida) homered for the Blue team.
Jensen went 3-for-15 with five RBI and did not commit an error in eight chances in the six-game series. He played the first four games for the Blue team, then switched over to the Red squad for the final two contests of the series.
After playing road games Monday and Tuesday, the Collegiate National Team will start a five-game friendly series with Korea Republic on Wednesday at the National Training Complex.
Jensen was a designated hitter and second baseman during the first three games of the series and played third base Friday, all with the Blue squad.
He was at third base for the Red team Saturday and at second base Sunday.
Jensen singled in the first game of the series Tuesday, won by the Red squad 4-1, and reached base twice on a walk and hit batsman Wednesday in a nine-inning 5-5 tie.
On Thursday, Jensen drove in a run with a first-inning single as the Blue team beat the Red squad 6-1. The Red team won Friday 7-1 and Jensen was hitless in two at-bats for the Blue team.
Jensen played the entire game at third base for the Red team Saturday and was hitless in three at-bats as the Red fell to the Blue 5-3. He started at second base Sunday and hit third in the order.
Jensen, the first Mustang to be invited to the National Team Trials, was invited last year but remained sidelined by a fractured clavicle.
Jensen hit .375 with 15 doubles, nine home runs and 53 RBI as a freshman at Cal Poly en route to numerous postseason awards, including Big West Conference Freshman Player of the Year.
This year, Jensen missed the Mustangs’ final 19 games after dislocating a knee during practice in late April. He was hitting .270 prior to the injury, finishing with seven doubles, six triples and a pair of home runs with 32 RBI.
This summer, Jensen was playing for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in the Cape Cod League before traveling to Cary for the College National Team Trials. Jensen was 9-for-26 in his last seven games with Yarmouth-Dennis to improve his batting average 75 points to .275. He has three doubles and nine RBI for the season.