Mustangs Triumph 6-2 to take Series from UC Davis

Sunday, May 8

Davis, CA

12 pm

10-34, 0

UC Davis

22-25, 0

Cal Poly

UC Davis

Mustangs Triumph 6-2 to take Series from UC Davis

5/8/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score

DAVIS, Calif. – Sophomore righthander Rebecca Patton tossed a complete-game five-hitter and senior designated player Anna Cahn crushed her Big West Conference-leading 14th home run of the season off the LaRue Field scoreboard as the Cal Poly softball program finalized a series victory versus UC Davis on Sunday afternoon with a 6-2 triumph.

Cahn, who matched former All-Big West first baseman Krysten Cary's 2009 homer total for second place on the Cal Poly single-season record chart, finished with a game-high two hits for the Mustangs (10-34, 6-12), who extended their dominance versus UC Davis (22-25, 7-11) to six victories during the previous seven appearances at LaRue Field.

Patton (8-18) finished with five strikeouts for Cal Poly, which furthered seventh-year head coach Jenny Condon's career record to 199-148. Condon can become the 11th Big West coach to win 200 games when Cal Poly closes the regular season by hosting Pacific May 13-14.

Cal Poly was retired in order during the first, but Cahn (above) opened the second by singling a full-count pitch up the middle. After freshman pinch runner Jen Walker was sacrificed to second by Patton, junior right fielder Nicole Lund grounded a pitch to Aggie shortstop Elizabeth Santana, who allowed the bounding ball to skip off her left arm. The miscue scored Westlund and Mustang sophomore Whitley Gerhart followed by sending her first collegiate triple into the right field gap to plate Lund. UC Davis starting lefthander Alex Holmes (16-18) then capped Cal Poly's three-run second by unfurling a wild pitch that scored a sliding Gerhart.

The Aggies earned a run back during the bottom of the second through right fielder Kylie Fan's two-out single down the left field line to score first baseman Bianca Castillo.

The Mustangs left the bases loaded during the third and UC Davis utilized Cal Poly's squandered opportunity to continue chipping away at the lead. With one out and Aggie center fielder Megan Guzman on third, Jessica Gonzalez singled through the left side of the infield to draw UC Davis within a run of Cal Poly's advantage. Facing Aggie baserunners at the corners, however, Patton struck out Castillo before inducing an inning-ending groundout from second baseman Kelly Harman.

Patton returned to set down UC Davis in order during the fourth and fifth – the latter sequence occurring on just three pitches – and allow Cal Poly a chance to extend its lead. A wild pitch from Holmes helped move Patton to third and substitute right fielder Jillian Andersen to second with two outs during the top of the sixth. However, sophomore third baseman Shea Williams, after fouling off three-successive pitches from Holmes, lined a pitch into right field that was caught on the shoestrings by a charging Fan.

Patton, however, retired six of the final eight Aggies she faced to preserve victory and Cahn's homer during the top of the seventh cemented the final margin.