Four Homers Lift Cal Poly to Sweep Against Sacramento State

Saturday, March 19

Sacramento, CA

11 am

12-5

Sacramento State

9-7

Cal Poly

Sacramento State

Four Homers Lift Cal Poly to Sweep Against Sacramento State

3/19/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Southpaw Kyle Smith and right-hander Erich Uelmen both earned their third wins of the season and Cal Poly hit four home runs, two by freshman center fielder Alex McKenna, to sweep a non-conference baseball doubleheader against Sacramento State on Saturday at John Smith Field.

Smith struck out five over seven innings and McKenna (pictured above) smashed a three-run home run to lift Coach Larry Lee's Mustangs to a 6-4 triumph in the opener. Uelmen earned his second complete-game victory, a five-hit shutout with six strikeouts, in a 4-0 triumph in the nightcap.

With the two wins, Cal Poly improved to 13-5 for the year, sweeping a doubleheader for the third time in four tries this season. Sacramento State fell to 9-8.

In the opener, Cal Poly was held scoreless and hitless through the first three innings and trailed 2-0 before erupting for six runs on six hits in the fourth. Key blows were a two-run double by freshman second baseman Kyle Marinconz and McKenna's three-run blast. Freshman catcher Nick Meyer added a safety squeeze bunt.

Smith (3-1) gave up single runs in the fourth and eighth frames as Sacramento State pulled to within two runs at 6-4, but freshman southpaw Justin Bruihl earned his second save by securing the final six outs of the game, one via strikeout.

Meyer collected two of Cal Poly's eight hits. Each of the top seven hitters in Cal Poly's batting order garnered at least one hit.

The loss went to junior southpaw Sam Long (1-4) as he allowed all six runs and six hits in four innings with three walks and two strikeouts.

Cal Poly blasted three solo home runs in the nightcap, more than enough for Uelmen (3-0) to earn his second complete game victory. He walked only one and faced the minimum Sacramento State batters over the first six innings.

Junior first baseman Brett Barbier and senior right fielder John Schuknecht homered with the bases empty in the fourth inning and McKenna added a solo shot in the fifth. Schuknecht also tallied another run with a sacrifice fly in the eighth.

McKenna now has four home runs this season, Schuknecht three and Barbier two. Cal Poly hit five home runs in its first 16 games this season and four more in Saturday's doubleheader.

Barbier and sophomore left fielder Josh George each had two of Cal Poly's eight hits.

A year ago, Cal Poly did not earn its 13th victory until April 11.

The Mustangs have posted a pair of shutouts over the last nine days -- Smith blanked Grand Canyon with a five-hit 7-0 win March 11 -- and four complete games this season, two each by Smith and Uelmen.

Final game of the series is set for Sunday at 11 a.m., weather permitting, with freshman right-hander Cam Schneider on the mound for Cal Poly.