No. 18 Cal Poly Falls to Long Beach State, 3-2

Saturday, April 27

Long Beach, CA

2 pm

28-12, 8-6

Long Beach State

19-21, 8-6

Cal Poly

Long Beach State

No. 18 Cal Poly Falls to Long Beach State, 3-2

4/27/2013 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Third baseman Juan Avila's sacrifice fly in the eighth inning lifted Long Beach State to a 3-2 victory over Cal Poly in a Big West Conference baseball game Saturday afternoon at Blair Field.

The three-game series is even at a game apiece with the finale set for Sunday afternoon.

Cal Poly, ranked 18th this week by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, fell to 28-12 overall and 8-6 in Big West games. Long Beach State improved to 19-21 and 8-6, tied for fourth place with the Mustangs.

Colby Brenner opened the eighth with a single, advanced to third on two grounders and came home on the fly ball to center field by Avila.

Long Beach State scored twice in the second inning and Cal Poly answered with a pair in the seventh.

Ino Patron, Richard Prigatano and Colton Vaughn all singled to load the bases with nobody out for the Dirtbags. Zach Miller's grounder to second base resulted in a force play at second and one RBI, but shortstop Peter Van Gansen's low throw to first base for a double play skipped into the Cal Poly dugout, allowing the second run to score.

In the Mustang seventh, freshman designated hitter Brian Mundell reached base on an error and senior catcher Elliot Stewart doubled to the wall in center field, scoring Mundell. One batter later, pinch-hitter John Schuknecht singled to center field, scoring Stewart and tying the game at 2-2.

Cal Poly has just six pinch hits all season and Schuknecht was 0-for-7 as a pinch-hitter prior to his game-tying single in the seventh.

Right-hander Ryan Millison (2-1) earned the win by securing the final five outs, two on strikeouts. The game ended with Mustang pinch-runner Tyler Evanoff caught trying to steal second base.

Dirtbag starter Jake Stassi pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowing two runs and four hits with one walk and four strikeouts.

The loss went to Mustang sophomore southpaw Matt Imhof (4-3) as he gave up three runs and six hits in seven-plus innings. Imhof (pictured above) struck out four, did not allow a walk and at one time retired 14 Dirtbags in a row from the third through seventh innings before Brenner's leadoff single in the eighth.

Long Beach State's six hits were singles by six different batters. Cal Poly's five hits included doubles by Stewart and junior left fielder David Armendariz. Sophomore center fielder Jordan Ellis extended his hitting streak to eight games with a third-inning single.

Final game of the series will be played Sunday at 1 o'clock with Cal Poly sophomore right-hander Bryan Granger (5-3, 5.05 ERA) to face Long Beach State freshman right-hander David Hill (3-2, 4.37 ERA).