The Cal Poly dugout erupted onto the field and mobbed sophomore Jimmy Allen at third base as he tagged UC Santa Barbara’s Bryce Tafelski for the final out of Sunday’s come-from-behind win at Baggett Stadium.
A one-out pop up into foul territory in left field was corralled by sophomore David Armendariz, who then gunned down Tafelski, who was trying to advance to third, to end the game and give the Cal Poly baseball team (33-20, 13-8) a much-needed weekend series sweep of UC Santa Barbara (24-27, 10-14) on Sunday.
Despite winning 11 of their last 14 contests, the Mustangs’ postseason fate now lies in the hands of an NCAA selection committee. A sweep of the rival Gauchos this weekend was necessary as Cal Poly tries to impress the committee and earn an at-large berth into a regional championship.
“This was a great series sweep this weekend,” head coach Larry Lee said. “It just keeps us alive for next weekend (against UC Riverside). It’s exactly what we needed.”
Cal Poly’s season looked as if it was nearing the end — another conference loss would likely have sealed their fate as the Mustangs trailed by as many as six runs heading into the bottom of the seventh inning.
But the team’s bats came to life in the seventh and eighth innings after a listless showing in the early part of the game. Cal Poly scored four runs in both frames to take a 9-7 lead heading into the ninth inning. Sophomore closer Chase Johnson gave up a run in the final inning before the pop fly double play ended the game.
“It says how resilient we are as a ballclub,” Lee said. “Our guys have bought into not worrying about anything but the game at hand and the pitch at hand.”
Allen’s lone hit of the day was a big one as he rifled a bases-loaded single in the eighth inning to score two and give the Mustangs an 8-7 lead. Cal Poly would add another tally in the inning to extend the lead to 9-7.
“I was looking for a good pitch up in the zone,” Allen said. “I got it and put a good swing on it.”
Allen is 5 for 7 with 12 RBI with the bases loaded this season, which is tops on the team. He also earned an RBI sacrifice fly in the seventh inning to help jumpstart the Mustang rally — Cal Poly had four sacrificial flys in the game. The converted outfielder has made a tremendous impact with runners in scoring position this year, according to Lee.
“He’s been clutch— that was his only hit of the day,” Lee said. “That combination of (Mitch) Haniger and Allen in the 3-4 spot when they’re on adds a punch to our lineup.”
Senior shortstop Mike Miller has also made a considerable contribution this season as he leads the team with a .364 batting average. Playing in his final home game as a Mustang, Miller scored two runs on two hits to end his career at Baggett Stadium. He scored the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and extended his hit streak to seven games.
“I was just glad my last at-bat was able to do something to help the team,” Miller said. “It was a good team at-bat. Once I crossed the plate, it was a real good feeling scoring the go-ahead run.”
The Mustang pitching staff struggled throughout the game as it allowed 17 hits and only posted two scoreless innings on the afternoon. Junior starter Kyle Brueggemann got into trouble early and was pulled after 2 1/3 innings after allowing two runs on seven hits.
Cal Poly used only one relief pitcher in the previous two games of the series — sophomore Michael Holback — but needed four on Sunday to complete the sweep.
Armendariz went 3 for 4 with two RBI and drove in the winning run of the day.
The Mustangs conclude their regular season next weekend at UC Riverside needing a sweep of the Highlanders, but Lee said the team will also need some help from the selection committee to augment a strong showing to end 2012.
“If you compare our résumé with anyone that is vying for an at-large bid, we’re as good as anyone,” Lee said. “In my mind, we’ve put ourselves as the second team in the Big West (behind Cal State Fullerton), and hopefully, we’ll end up in that upper echelon of the Big West when the season ends.”