Pacific Rallies to Beat Cal Poly 11-8 for First Victory of 2015 Season

Sunday, March 8

Stockton, CA

1 pm

4-8

Pacific

1-13

Cal Poly

Pacific

Pacific Rallies to Beat Cal Poly 11-8 for First Victory of 2015 Season

3/8/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

STOCKTON, Calif. – Pacific rallied from 5-0 and 8-3 deficits to earn its first victory of the 2015 baseball season Sunday, parlaying eight extra-base hits into an 11-8 win over Cal Poly at Klein Family Field.

Designated hitter Jed Sprague hit a one-out solo home run in the fifth inning to snap an 8-8 tie as the Tigers improved to 1-13 on the year.

Cal Poly, which clinched the three-game non-conference series with 11-3 and 12-4 wins, fell to 4-8 with Sunday's loss.

Coach Larry Lee's Mustangs tallied five runs in the first inning, the key hits an RBI double by left fielder Brett Barbier, a run-scoring single by third baseman Ryan Drobny and a squeeze bunt by catcher Jake Lesinski.

After Pacific pulled to within 5-3, right fielder Zack Zehner (pictured at right) belted a three-run home run in the fourth to give Cal Poly an 8-3 cushion. It was Zehner's second homer of the season and fifth of his two-year Mustang career.

Pacific was not done, however, scoring five times in the bottom of the fourth to even the game at 8-8. Tyler Sullivan and left fielder Justin Thaxton hit back-to-back two-run doubles and third baseman JJ Wagner's sacrifice fly tied the game.

Sprague broke the 8-8 tie in the fifth and second baseman Brett Sullivan homered leading off the sixth to give Pacific a 10-8 lead. The Tigers added an insurance run in the eighth on Louis Mejia's RBI double to left-center field.

Cal Poly had just two baserunners after Zehner's fourth-inning home run. First baseman Tommy Pluschkell singled leading off the sixth and designated hitter Mark Mathias singled opening the ninth. Both were left stranded.

Despite allowing eight runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings, senior right-hander Michael Benson (1-2) earned the win for Pacific. Vince Arobio secured the final six outs for his first save.

The loss went to Mustang freshman right-hander Michael Gomez (0-1) as he surrendered the home run to Sprague in the fifth inning.

Cal Poly's seven hits included doubles by Barbier and center fielder Jordan Ellis. Brett Sullivan went 4-for-5 with three RBI for Pacific, which collected three doubles, a trio of triples and two home runs. Tyler Sullivan, Thaxton and Mejia each had two of Pacific's 15 hits.

Cal Poly will visit San Jose State on Tuesday night before opening an eight-game home stand Thursday night by hosting Sacramento State for the first of four games in Baggett Stadium.