Tate Samuelson throws to first base for an out against UC Irvine on Saturday.
Cal Poly Rallies in Ninth for Walk-Off 4-3 Win Over UC Irvine
4/17/2021 4:11:00 PM | Baseball
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SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Nick Marinconz's long single off the wall in left field in the bottom of the ninth inning knocked in the winning run as Cal Poly scored three times for a walk-off 4-3 victory over first-place and No. 25 UC Irvine in the first game of a Big West Conference baseball doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Baggett Stadium.
With one out in the ninth, Cal Poly trailing 3-1, Tate Samuelson was hit by a pitch and took second on defensive indifference. An out later, Taison Corio reached base on a throwing error, took second on the error and stole an unattended third base, Samuelsons scoring.
Nick Marinconz leaps
after game-winning single.
With the bases loaded and two outs, Corio scored on a wild pitch to tie the game. Marinconz hit a deep fly ball to the wall in left field and it popped out of the glove of Luke Spillane as he crashed into the wall, Sam Biller scoring the winning run.
Cal Poly improved to 17-13 overall and 7-7 in Big West games while UC Irvine fell to 20-11 and 14-4, tired for first place with UC Santa Barbara, a 15-10 winner over UC San Diego in the opener of their doubleheader.
Both starting pitchers tossed brilliant games.
Cal Poly's Andrew Alvarez tossed six scoreless innings before he was toucherd for two runs in the seventh. One was unearned and he struck out seven.
UC Irvine's Nick Pinto (4-2) allowed just one run and four hits through eight innings before giving up all three runs in the ninth. All were unearned due to the two-out error. Pinto struck out three and also walked three.
Freshman Evan Tomlinson, in his first appearance on the mound this season, earned the win by securing the final two outs in the top of the ninth inning on a fly ball to center field and a grounder to second after UC Irvine had loaded the bases with one out.
Cal Poly struck first with a solo home run by Brooks Lee in the first inning, his seventh of the year and second as a right-handed hitter.
Lee and Emmerson each had two of Cal Poly's six hits.
Second game of the doubleheader will start at 4:25 p.m.
