Cal Poly Opens 2016 Baseball Season With 6-2 Victory Over Pacific

Friday, February 19

6 pm

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Pacific

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Pacific

Cal Poly

Cal Poly Opens 2016 Baseball Season With 6-2 Victory Over Pacific

2/19/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Sophomore southpaw Kyle Smith struck out six Pacific batters in the first two innings and went the distance on the mound while Cal Poly tied a school Division I record with six sacrifice bunts en route to a 6-2 victory in a season-opening college baseball game Friday night in Baggett Stadium.

Smith finished with nine strikeouts and walked only one in the complete-game win, scattering seven hits. He ran into trouble only once when Pacific scored both of its runs in the seventh inning.

Cal Poly head coach Larry Lee is now 8-6 in season openers and the Mustangs spoiled the head coaching debut of Pacific's Mike Neu, pitching coach at Cal the last four seasons.

Smith threw just 108 pitches and tossed a steady diet of change-ups to record seven strikeouts in the first three innings. He retired the side in order five times.

Cal Poly's last nine-inning complete-game win was earned by Casey Bloomquist in a 4-1 victory at Oregon State on March 27, 2015. Smith pitched an eight-inning complete game in a 2-1 loss at Cal State Fullerton last season.

Pacific cut into Cal Poly's 3-0 lead with an RBI double by left fielder Danny Mayer and a sacrifice fly by second baseman Louis Mejia, but catcher Nick Meyer, one of three freshmen in the Mustangs' lineup, picked off a Tiger runner at first and Smith induced catcher JP Yakel to fly out to right field, ending the rally.

Cal Poly scored three unearned runs in the eighth to build a four-run cushion at 6-2 and Pacific mustered two harmless singles in the ninth, stranding both runners as third baseman JJ Wagner flied out to center field to end the game.

Cal Poly scored twice in the first inning and added a run in the fifth for its 3-0 advantage.

Center fielder Alex McKenna and second baseman Kyle Marinconz both drew walks in their first collegiate at-bats and both moved up 90 feet on the Mustangs' first sacrifice bunt of the game, laid down by junior first baseman Brett Barbier. Junior designated hitter Jake Mavropoulos cashed in both runs with a double to the gap in left-center field.

McKenna led off the fifth with a walk as well while Marinconz singled up the middle. Another sacrifice bunt by Barbier moved the runners to second and third and senior right fielder John Schuknecht beat out an infield hit up the middle, scoring McKenna.

After Pacific scored twice in the seventh to narrow the gap to 3-2, Cal Poly took advantage of two Pacific errors in the eighth, scoring three unearned runs. Sophomore left fielder Josh George singled and scored from first base when junior shortstop Alec Smith's sacrifice bunt was thrown down the right field line.

Meyer's squeeze bunt back to the pitcher was bobbled for another error, scoring Smith. McKenna knocked in the final run with a single to right field.

Barbier and Smith both had two sacrifice bunts and Meyer and junior third baseman Michael Sanderson had the others for the record. Cal Poly produced five sacrifice bunts three times earlier in the Mustangs' 21 Division I seasons.

Barbier also contributed two hits in a 2-for-2 day at the plate while George singled twice as well.

Pacific's seven hits included three singles by Mejia.

The loss went to Tiger junior right-hander Will Lydon despite striking out 10 Mustang batters. He gave up three runs and six hits in six innings with four walks.

The two former Big West rivals will play a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday afternoon, with Cal Poly to send freshman right-hander Cam Schneider and junior righty Slater Lee to the mound.