Cal Poly Fall in Series Finale to Long Beach State, 4-1

Sunday, April 24

San Luis Obispo, CA

1 p.m.

16-23, 11-7

Long Beach State

23-19, 13-5

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Long Beach State	1	0	0	1	0	0	2	4	9	0
Cal Poly	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	1

Photo by: Owen Main | Cal Poly Athletics

Cal Poly Fall in Series Finale to Long Beach State, 4-1

4/24/2022 4:04:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Attempting to hand Long Beach State its first road sweep in 12 years, the Cal Poly softball program was limited to three hits Sunday afternoon – all doubles – as the Mustangs closed a three-game series with a 4-1 setback at Bob Janssen Field.

Stranding six baserunners, Cal Poly (16-23, 11-7) saw a 10-game Big West Conference winning streak snapped – the program's lengthiest since taking 13 straight in 2009. With the opportunity to climb into a three-team tie for second place in the Big West standings, the Mustangs instead slipped into fourth place, one game behind Hawai'i (18-15, 12-6), two games behind Long Beach State (23-19, 13-5) and four shy of conference leader Cal State Fullerton (31-15, 15-3).

With three Big West series remaining in the regular season, Cal Poly visits Cal State Fullerton for a three-game, April 30-May 1 series. Action opens with a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, April 30.

Long Beach State, which dropped both games of Saturday's doubleheader, opened Sunday's scoring at the first opportunity as a one-out single from third baseman Ashleigh Inae into center field brought home left fielder Sara Olson for a 1-0 lead.

Cal Poly, however, equalized at the first asking with sophomore Juju Sargent slicing a run-scoring double down the right field line – three pitches after senior shortstop Maddie Amos lined a double down the left field line.

Cal Poly freshman starting righthander Kate Judy (6-11), meanwhile, stranded Long Beach State second baseman Jacquelyn Bickar at third to end the top of the second before leaving the corner bases occupied in the third.

The Mustangs, however, stranded the bases loaded to close the third after stacking the bags with one down. Long Beach State returned in the top of the fourth to regain a one-run lead as pinch hitter Mikayla Ceballos looped a single into left field to score Bickar.

Facing another deficit, Cal Poly – with two doubles in the first and hitless until the seventh – was retired in order to end both the fourth and fifth innings. Long Beach State starting righthander Samantha Fowler (10-6) faced the minimum number of Mustangs once more in the sixth after first baseman Hailey Prahm grounded into an inning-ending double play.

In the seventh, Long Beach State added its final two runs and Cal Poly stranded junior shortstop Xiara Diaz at third following a leadoff double.