Mustangs squander early leads to Gauchos

Though the Cal Poly baseball team outhit UC Santa Barbara 15-10 Tuesday afternoon, four of the 10 Gauchos hits left the park, causing the Mustangs to fall 10-8 despite an early advantage.

The non-conference game at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium, in which UC Santa Barbara overcame 2-1 and 5-2 deficits to top the Mustangs, marks the first Gauchos win in six meetings between the Central Coast rivals.

UC Santa Barbara scored in the first inning on two singles, but the Mustangs (3-5) fought back and scored runs in the second and third innings to post a 2-1 lead.

The Gauchos (6-3) blasted their first ball out of the park in the bottom of the third inning thanks to senior outfielder Chris Fox.

Freshman rightfielder D.J. Gentile and first baseman J.J. Thompson both singled before sophomore leftfielder Luke Yoder drove both runners home with a triple to right-center field in the fourth, pushing the Cal Poly lead to 5-2. Yoder scored when the cutoff throw was thrown away for an error.

However, the Gauchos proceeded to score six runs in the bottom of the inning. Junior outfielder John DeAlba smacked one out of right-center field to lead off the inning. Three singles produced the second run while a squeeze bunt tied the game at 5-5.

Then, one batter later, junior infielder Eric Oliver hit a three-run homer to left field.

Junior infielder Shane Carlson added one more for the Gauchos in the fifth frame with a solo shot.

Cal Poly narrowed the gap with three more runs of its own, but to no avail.

Yoder went 4 for 5 with four runs scored and two RBI for Cal Poly while junior infielder Brent Morel added three hits and two RBI.

The loss went to Mustangs sophomore D.J. Mauldin (1-1). He allowed seven runs and eight hits in 3 1/3 innings with no walks and two strikeouts.

Cal Poly, which has played its first eight games of the 2008 season on the road, continues the trip with a three-game series Friday through Sunday at Washington.

The Mustangs will play their home opener Tuesday in a rematch with UC Santa Barbara at 6 p.m. in Baggett Stadium.