Mundell Belts Two Home Runs as Cal Poly Shuts Out Cal State Fullerton 5-0

Thursday, April 2

Fullerton, CA

6 pm

10-16, 1-0

Cal State Fullerton

14-14, 2-2

Cal Poly

Cal State Fullerton

Mundell Belts Two Home Runs as Cal Poly Shuts Out Cal State Fullerton 5-0

4/2/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

FULLERTON, Calif. – Brian Mundell belted two solo home runs, Ryan Drobny added a two-run shot off the foul pole and Casey Bloomquist scattered six hits over 7 2/3 scoreless innings as Cal Poly opened defense of its 2014 Big West Conference championship with a 5-0 victory over Cal State Fullerton on Thursday night at Goodwin Field.

Bloomquist (3-2) earned his third win in as many weeks – his others were against top-25 and Pac-12 powers USC and Oregon State – as he struck out five and walked three. Danny Zandona secured the final four outs, two on strikeouts, to preserve the shutout, Cal Poly's first of the year.

A year ago at Baggett Stadium, Bloomquist pitched a three-hit shutout with eight strikeouts in a 3-0 victory, completing the Mustangs' three-game series sweep against Cal State Fulllerton. Bloomquist, who did not pitch against the Titans as a freshman in 2013, has pitched 16 2/3 scoreless innings in his career against Cal State Fulllerton.

Cal Poly improves to 10-16 on the year and 1-0 in Big West games with the win while Cal State Fullerton falls to 14-14 and 2-2.

Mundell (pictured at right), who homered twice against Sacramento State three weeks ago in Baggett Stadium, accomplished the same feat for the third time in his Mustang career with a two-out shot to left field in the first inning and a monster solo blast some 390 feet away in left-center field leading off the eighth.

Mundell has four home runs this season and 19 in his Mustang career, including a school-record 11 for a freshman two seasons ago. He is the first player in three years to produce a two-homer game against Cal State Fullerton.

Drobny hit his first career homer as a Mustang in the second frame, a two-run shot off the right-field foul pole that gave Cal Poly a 3-0 lead.

The Mustangs added an unearned run in the third frame when John Schuknecht's single to right field caromed off the glove of Scott Hurst, allowing Peter Van Gansen to score from first base.

Mundell capped the scoring in the eighth with his towering home run off the second row of advertising signs in left-center field.

The loss went to Titan junior right-hander Thomas Eshelman (3-3), the All-American who allowed four runs (three earned) and six hits in six innings with no walks and one strikeout.

Third baseman Tommy Pluschkell singled three times – he also has a four-hit game this season – while Mundell, Schuknecht and Drobny all added two hits as Cal Poly outhit Cal State Fullerton 10-6. Van Gansen extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a third-inning single.

The Titans' six hits – no more than one in any inning – included two singles by center fielder Tyler Stieb and a seventh-inning leadoff triple by second baseman Josh Vargas. Bloomquist secured a comebacker, strikeout and groundout to wriggle out of the jam.

In addition to Vargas, Cal State Fullerton had just one other runner reach third as Dustin Vaught singled with one out in the sixth and advanced to third on a hit batsman and wild pitch, but a groundout ended the threat.

Cal State Fullerton stranded at least one runner on the basepaths in every inning and 10 for the game.

Second game of the series will be played Friday night at 7 with freshman southpaw Kyle Smith (2-4, 4.41 ERA) of Cal Poly to face Cal State Fullerton junior right-hander Justin Garza 1-2, 2.51 ERA).