Cal Poly redshirt freshman southpaw Jakob Wright doffs his cap toward his teammates after striking out the final two Cal State Fullerton batters in Saturday's 5-4 win.
Photo by: Owen Main | Cal Poly Athletics
Late Single by Shimao Lifts Cal Poly to Season-Ending 5-4 Victory
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- A line drive single by Tate Shimao in the eighth inning knocked in the go-ahead run as Cal Poly wrapped up its 2023 baseball season with a 5-4 victory over NCAA regional-bound Cal State Fullerton on Saturday inside Baggett Stadium.
Before a season-high 2,416 fans, Shimao, who doubled and eventually scored Cal Poly's first run of the game in the third inning, snapped a 4-4 tie with his RBI single to left field, scoring pinch-runner Ryan Fenn from second base.
Jakob Wright walked pinch-hitter Draven Nushida with one out in the ninth and a wild pitch allowed Nushida to take second, representing the game-tying run. Wright, however, struck out both Zach Lew, who homered twice in the series, and Caden Connor, who had four hits in the first two games, to end the Big West contest.
Tate Shimao lines a single to left field in the eighth inning
to drive in the go-ahead run for Cal Poly.
Cal Poly, which held 1-0, 3-2 and 4-2 advantages before taking the lead for good in the eighth, concludes its rebuilding season with a 21-35 overall mark and 11-19 Big West record for eighth place.
Cal State Fullerton (31-22 overall), which won the first two games of the series 9-4 and 7-4, fell short in its bid for a share of the Big West title with idle UC San Diego but finished in a second-place tie with CSUN, both 20-10, and earned the automatic playoff berth by winning its series against the Matadors in late April.
Wright (2-1) earned the victory with five strikeouts over 2 1/3 innings in relief of starter Steven Brooks, who gave up two runs and five hits over 6 2/3 innings with no walks and three strikeouts.
The loss was charged to Trevor Hinkel (1-4), who pitched 2 2/3 innings in relief of starter Evan Yates and gave up the eighth-inning run. Yates went 5 1/3 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) and seven hits with two walks and a pair of strikeouts.
Cal Poly outhit Cal State Fullerton 10-7, led by first baseman Joe Yorke with two singles and a double. Shimao added two hits while Aaron Casillas knocked in two runs with a sacrifice fly and a groundout.
Collin Villegas breaks his aluminum bat
while blooping a single to right field.
Nate Nankil and Eli Lopez both singled twice for the Titans and Lew added his seventh home run of the year, a two-run shot in the fifth inning for a 2-1 Cal State Fullerton lead.
Cal Poly took a 1-0 lead in the third inning as Shimao led off with a double, took third on a fly ball to right field and scored on the sacrifice fly by Casillas.
Lew's home run gave the Titans a 2-1 lead, but Cal Poly answered quickly with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth for a 3-2 cushion. Taison Corio singled and Jake Steels walked. Both advanced 90 feet on a dropped pickoff throw attempt by the Titans at second base with no outs. Casillas grounded out to tie the game at 2-2 and a sacrifice fly by Ryan Stafford snapped the deadlock.
The Mustangs stretched their lead to 4-2 in the sixth as Yorke doubled off the wall in center field, took third on a single by Evan Cloyd and scored on a wild pitch.
A two-run double by Carter White tied the game in the top of the eighth, setting the stage for Shimao's heroics in the bottom of the frame.
Yorke singled up the middle for his third hit of the game. Running for Yorke, Fenn stole second on a pitch in the dirt and sprinted home on Shimao's first-pitch single to left field.
Both Cloyd and Yorke were 5-for-12 in the series -- Cloyd driving in three runs and Yorke two -- while Villegas was 4-for-12 with three RBIs. Each player had a double and both Cloyd and Villegas homered in the series, Villegas finishing with 13 for the season, tied for No. 10 all-time at Cal Poly.
