Cal Poly uses six pitchers in loss

Despite hitting three home runs to rally from a 7-2 deficit and tie the game, the Cal Poly baseball team failed to capitalize Sunday afternoon at No. 12 Cal State Fullerton’s Goodwin Field, dropping the conclusion of a Big West Conference series 12-9.

Although the Mustangs compiled 15 hits, they committed a season-high five errors resulting in six unearned runs.

The Cal Poly comeback began in the fifth inning when J.J. Thompson and Josh Thomas blasted solo home runs.

In the sixth, Ryan Lee and Kyle Smith singled before Thomas homered again to tie the affair at 7-7.

First-place Cal State Fullerton (32-17, 15-6) took back its advantage during its half of the frame, though, as all three of its scores were unearned due to the Mustangs’ fourth miscue.

Jared Clark tacked on a solo homer to center in the seventh to provide the Titans an 11-7 lead.

While Lee opened the Mustangs eighth with a double and eventually came home when Scott Domingues grounded into a double play, Cal State Fullerton went back on top by four by virtue of an unearned run in the eighth when Dustin Garneau scored on an overthrow.

Wes Dorrell’s ninth-inning sacrifice fly to center plated Pat Pezet to complete the Cal Poly scoring.

Right-hander Cory Arbiso (10-2) improved to an unblemished 10-0 on Sundays in spite of allowing seven runs on 11 hits through six innings.

Cal Poly (23-26, 7-11) possessed a lead in all but three of its defeats.

Right-hander Steven Fischback, the first of six Mustangs pitchers to take the mound, surrendered five runs and seven hits with a trio of walks, two hit batters and two strikeouts through three innings of work.

Lee went 4 for 4 with an RBI and three runs scored, and Smith went 3 for 4 with one run and an RBI. Pezet chipped in two hits in defeat.

Garneau and Gary Brown each had a team-high three hits for the Titans.

Left-hander Grant Theophilus (1-3), who yielded the go-ahead score in the sixth, suffered the loss, which came after Cal State Fullerton won Friday’s opener 6-4 before losing 11-4 Saturday.

Saturday’s contest became the first win at Goodwin Field since 2002 for Cal Poly, which will host Pepperdine at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Baggett Stadium before opening a three-game Big West home series against Long Beach State at 6 p.m. Friday.