Cal Poly Falls to No. 23 UC Irvine 3-2 in Big West Series Finale

Sunday, May 8

Irvine, CA

5 pm

21-21, 10-8

UC Irvine

31-13, 10-5

Cal Poly

UC Irvine

Cal Poly Falls to No. 23 UC Irvine 3-2 in Big West Series Finale

5/8/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

IRVINE, Calif. – UC Irvine overcame a 1-0 deficit with a pair of two-out rallies for three runs and defeated Cal Poly 3-2 in the final game of a Big West Conference baseball series before a national television audience (ESPNU) Sunday afternoon at Anteater Ballpark.

The loss dropped Cal Poly to 21-21 for the season and 10-8 in Big West games for third place. UC Irvine, ranked No. 23 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, improves to 31-13 and 10-5.

Cal Poly took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a one-out home run by sophomore right fielder Mitch Haniger to left-center field, his second of the series and third of the season.

UC Irvine answered with two runs in the third and one more in the fifth for a 3-1 advantage. All three runs came with two outs.

In the third, back-to-back two-out RBI doubles by Sean Madigan and Brian Hernandez gave the Anteaters a 2-1 lead and UC Irvine scored another in the fifth as Drew Hillman doubled with two outs and scored on a single up the middle by Jordan Leyland.

UC Irvine also threatened in the fourth, loading the bases with one out. Sophomore right-hander Joey Wagman relieved Mustang starter Chase Johnson and induced Dillon Moyer to bunt into a force play at the plate for the second out and struck out Jordan Fox to end the inning.

Cal Poly got the leadoff man on base in both the seventh and eighth innings – a single by Matt Jensen in the seventh and a double by Bobby Crocker in the eighth – but Jensen was erased on a double play and Crocker was left stranded at second base.

In the ninth, J.J. Thompson and Haniger led off with singles, but Haniger was picked off first base as Thompson scored and both Jensen and Elliot Stewart struck out to end the game.

Cal Poly, 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position Sunday, has lost four straight three-game series against UC Irvine.

Junior right-hander Crosby Slaught (5-1) earned the victory, allowing one run and seven hits in seven-plus innings with no walks and five strikeouts.

The loss went to Johnson (1-5) as he was charged with two runs and five hits in 3 1/3 innings with one walk and one strikeout. Wagman pitched well in relief, giving up just one run and three hits in 4 2/3 innings with no walks and two strikeouts.

Cal Poly's nine hits included three by Haniger (pictured above) and two each by Crocker, Thompson and Jensen. For Thompson, it was the 17th multiple-hit game in his last 30 starts. Leyland singled twice for two of UC Irvine's eight hits.

Cal Poly plays a non-conference game Tuesday afternoon at Saint Mary's and returns home to host UC Davis for a three-game Big West Conference series Friday through Sunday in Baggett Stadium.