CSUN Sweeps Big West Doubleheader Against Cal Poly

Saturday, May 7

Northridge, CA

2:30 pm

26-19, 7-7

CSUN

27-16, 6-11

Cal Poly

CSUN

CSUN Sweeps Big West Doubleheader Against Cal Poly

5/7/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – A pair of crooked numbers – five runs in the fourth inning of the opener and three tallies in the seventh inning of the nightcap – lifted CSUN to a doubleheader sweep against Cal Poly on Saturday afternoon at Matador Field.

CSUN scored five runs in the fourth inning to overcome a 2-1 deficit and went on to beat Cal Poly 7-2 in the first game of the Big West Conference twinbill.

The Matadors tallied three runs in the seventh frame of the second game to erase a 3-1 deficit and earned the sweep with a 5-3 triumph.

Cal Poly fell to 26-19 with the pair of losses, 7-7 in Big West games, while CSUN improved to 27-16 and 6-11. The Mustangs have lost their last five Big West games after moving into a tie for first place with Cal State Fullerton two weeks ago with a sweep of their series at home against UC Santa Barbara.

In an inning in which Cal Poly could have recorded five outs, CSUN instead parlayed four hits, a walk and two wild pitches into five runs and a 6-2 lead in the fourth frame of the opener.

The inning was extended when Justin Toerner's grounder to the right side resulted in no Mustang covering first base. In addition, Jayson Newman struck out, but reached first base on a wild pitch.

After CSUN scored an unearned run in the first inning, Cal Poly answered with a solo home run by Alec Smith (pictured above) in the second. The Mustangs took a 2-1 lead in the fourth on Nick Meyer's RBI single.

The lead was short-lived as CSUN turned it around and broke the game open with a five-run fourth-inning rally.

Schuknecht and Kyle Marinconz both had two of Cal Poly's seven hits. CSUN was led at the plate by Toerner and Dylan Alexander, each with two hits. Elias Orona added a two-run home run in the fourth inning, his first as a Matador.

That home run was the first allowed by Mustang sophomore southpaw Kyle Smith in his collegiate career covering 165 2/3 innings. Smith (5-5) allowed six runs and eight hits over five innings Saturday with two walks and seven strikeouts, but also threw four wild pitches.

Freshman right-hander Craig Colen tossed three hitless innings in relief, allowing one unearned run and striking out two.

The win went to Nick Viola (1-0), who relieved Big West strikeout leader Kenny Rosenberg in the fourth inning and shut the door on the Mustangs, pitching 5 1/3 scoreless innings with no walks, two hits and four strikeouts. Viola, who retired the first nine Mustangs batters he faced, had pitched just 9 2/3 innings all season prior to Saturday.

Rosenberg gave up two runs and five hits in 3 2/3 innings with four walks and four strikeouts.

In the nightcap, Cal Poly once again erased an early 1-0 deficit with single runs in the third and fourth frames for a 2-1 lead and added another in the seventh to go on top 3-1.

Brett Binning singled to knock in the run in the third, Michael Sanderson's grounder to first base gave Cal Poly a 2-1 lead in the fourth and Sanderson doubled and came home on Kevin Morgan's RBI single in the seventh.

Erich Uelmen entered the bottom of the seventh with a 3-1 lead and secured the first two outs before leaving the game with an injury. Justin Bruihl, Spencer Howard and Justin Calomeni followed Uelmen to the mound and couldn't quell the rally as the Matadors scored three times – an RBI single by Yusuke Akitoshi and a two-run double by Brendan Berry – to turn the game around.

CSUN added an insurance run in the eighth on Orona's RBI double.

Bruihl (1-3) suffered the loss, allowing the go-ahead runner to reach base. Samuel Myers (2-0) earned the win, pitching one scoreless inning. Matador starter Angel Rodriguez gave up three runs and five hits in six-plus innings with no walks and five strikeouts. Conner O'Neill notched his eighth save with two scoreless, hitless innings in relief of Myers, striking out three in the ninth inning.

Cal Poly's six hits included a double by Sanderson. CSUN's 11-hit offensive attack was led by Yositake, Albee Weiss and Jose Ruiz, each with two hits. Berry knocked in three runs.

Cal Poly played its fifth doubleheader of the season and, after three sweeps and a split, suffered its fors twinbill sweep of the year.

Final game of the series will be played Sunday at 1 o'clock with sophomore right-hander Jarred Zill (4-2, 2.98 ERA) on the mound for Cal Poly.