Cal Poly Sweeps Saturday Doubleheader with 7-6 and 6-3 Victories

Saturday, February 20

4 pm

3-0

Pacific

0-3

Pacific

Cal Poly

Cal Poly Sweeps Saturday Doubleheader with 7-6 and 6-3 Victories

2/20/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Junior right-hander Slater Lee struck out eight over 7 1/3 innings and sophomore left fielder Josh George capped a five-RBI day with a run-scoring double and triple as Cal Poly completed a doubleheader baseball sweep of Pacific on Saturday with a 6-3 victory in the nightcap at Baggett Stadium.

Freshman catcher Nick Meyer's (pictured above) first collegiate hit, a single through the right side, scored Michael Sanderson from second base in the 10th inning and lifted Cal Poly to a 7-6 victory over Pacific in the first game.

Cal Poly, which lost six of its first seven games a year ago with a veteran squad, is off to a 3-0 start this spring with six newcomers in the lineup in the two games Saturday. Pacific is 0-3.

In the nightcap, Lee (1-0) scattered 10 hits but allowed only three runs, all in the eighth inning. Freshman southpaw Thomas Triantos entered the game with the bases loaded and one out and proceeded to get Jimmy Boras to bounce a comebacker which Triantos turned into a force play at the plate for the second out. Redshirt freshman righty Austin Dondanville induced Kevin Sandri to ground out to second base, ending the threat and preserving Cal Poly's 4-3 lead.

The Mustangs tallied two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth. George tripled to score one run and Michael Sanderson, another freshman, laid down a perfect suicide squeeze bunt for the final run of the game.

Dondanville earned his first save by retiring all four batters he faced, two on strikes.

Cal Poly was outhit in both games of the doubleheader. The Mustangs' six hits in the nightcap included the double and triple by George for two RBI and a single and double by catcher Brett Barbier.

Pacific pounded out 10 hits but stranded nine runners. Designated hitter Lucas Halstead singled three times and catcher JP Yakel added two hits.

Letting 3-0 and 4-1 leads slip away in the opener, Cal Poly erased a 6-4 deficit with two runs in the eighth inning. Three walks, all with two outs, preceeded a two-run single up the middle by George, tying the game at 6-6.

Sophomore right-hander Jarred Zill (1-0), who secured two outs in the top of the 10th with Pacific runners at first and third, earned the victory. Fineas DelBontaSmith (0-1) suffered the loss as he gave up the run in the bottom of the 10th. Mustang reliever Justin Bruihl, yet another freshman, tossed 3 2/3 innings and allowed just one run and six hits with six strikeouts.

Cal Poly won despite being outhit 17-9. Center fielder Alex McKenna and designated hitter Jake Mavropoulos each had two hits for the Mustangs. McKenna hit a home run leading off the first inning.

Pacific's 16 hits included three singles by second baseman Louis Mejia and two hits each by Gio Brusa, Danny Mayer, JJ Wagner, Dylan Robertson, Kevin Sandri and Boras.

The Mustangs have committed just one error in the first three games of the season-opening non-conference series.

Cal Poly had just one walk-off win a year ago, a 12-inning 4-3 triumph over Long Beach State as Zack Zehner hit a leadoff home run.

Final game will be played Sunday at 1 0'clock with Cal Poly sophomore right-hander Erich Uelmen to face Pacific senior right-hander Bryce Lombardi.

Photo above of Nick Meyer courtesy of Ray Ambler | RA Photos