Cal Poly third baseman Ryan Fenn singled three times for his second three-hit game of the season as Cal Poly defeated UC Riverside 13-2 in the opener of a Big West series Thursday night.
Photo by: Owen Main | Cal Poly Athletics
Cal Poly Defeats UC Riverside 13-2 in Opener of Big West Series
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Bryce Warrecker matched his career high with eight strikeouts, Ryan Fenn produced his second three-hit game in six days and Ryan Stafford and Joe Yorke each drove in three runs as Cal Poly defeated UC Riverside 13-2 in the opener of a three-game Big West Conference series Thursday night inside Baggett Stadium.
Warrecker (2-2) gave up two runs and six hits over six innings for the victory, throwing 99 pitches. Freshman Charlie Royal tossed a three-inning save with three strikeouts.
With the win, Cal Poly snapped a four-game losing streak and improved to 8-18 for the season and 4-6 in Big West games. UC Riverside fell to 6-19 and 0-7.
Bryce Warrecker struck out eight, matching
his career high, in win over UC Riverside.
Cal Poly, 1-9 in games in which it scores first, allowed a first-inning run to the Highlanders on a wild pitch, then scored 13 times in its first four at-bats to win going away. The Mustangs are 7-9 in games in which the opponent scores first.
An infield single by Aaron Casillas, extending his hitting streak to seven games, and a bases-loaded walk drawn by Fenn turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead in the first inning and Cal Poly added three more runs in the second on a two-run double down the left-field line by Stafford and a comebacker by Collin Villegas, who saw his nine-game hitting streak come to an end.
The Mustang scoring continued with a run in the third on a single by Jake Steels and seven more in the fourth. Stafford and Taison Corio both walked with the bases loaded, Kemet Brown singled up the middle to drive home two more runs and Yorke provided the big highlight of the frame, a three-run double.
UC Riverside scored its final run in the fifth on another wild pitch.
Fenn's three hits all were singles. He also had three hits, one of them a double, in the middle game of the Long Beach State series last weekend and has lifted his average 100 points to .300 by going 13-for-35 (.371) in his last 10 games.
Steels, Stafford and Casillas each added two hits as Cal Poly outhit the visiting Highlanders 12-8.
Jacob Shanks, Anthony McFarland and Mason Grace each had two hits for UC Riverside.
Highlander starter Corbin Barker (0-4) suffered the loss, giving up four runs on one hit, five walks and a hit batter in one-plus innings. Caleb Turner, the last of five UC Riverside pitchers in the game, allowed one earned run and four hits over the final 4 1/3 innings with three walks and three strikeouts.
Cal Poly turned two double plays in a game for the first time this season.
Second game of the series will be played Friday night at 6 with Cal Poly sophomore right-hander Steven Brooks (1-1, 5.40 ERA) to face UC Riverside junior righty Tucker Juline (1-2, 2.67 ERA).
