Wild Opening Innings Assist 8-4 Mustangs Victory Over CSUB

Friday, March 13

San Luis Obispo, CA

6:05 PM

10-7, 4-0

Cal State Bakersfield

7-11, 1-3

Cal State Bakersfield

Cal Poly

Photo by: Owen Main | Cal Poly Athletics

Wild Opening Innings Assist 8-4 Mustangs Victory Over CSUB

3/14/2026 12:15:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Ryan Tayman smashed his second grand slam in as many games and drove in six runs while Casey Murray Jr. added three hits and a pair of RBIs to lead Cal Poly to a come-from-behind 8-4 victory over Cal State Bakersfield on Friday night inside Baggett Stadium.

The Big West baseball victory improved the Mustangs to 4-0 in conference games and 10-7 overall with their sixth straight triumph. Despite an early 4-0 lead, the visiting Roadrunners fell to 7-11 and 1-3.

Tayman's four-run blast in the second inning gave Cal Poly the lead for good at 5-4 and Murray followed with a full-count solo blast of his own for a 6-4 Mustang lead. Tayman now has four home runs and 20 RBIs for the season while Murray hit his third round-tripper and also doubled to knock in Cal Poly's first run of the game in the first inning.

Cal Poly added two insurance runs in the sixth on Tayman's two-run single through the left side of the Roadrunner infield.

After scoring its four runs in the first inning but did not plate another the rest of the way despite collecting nine more hits over the final eight frames.

Mustang starter Griffin Naess (3-1) tossed four scoreless innings after the four-run first-inning Roadrunner uprising, but it was not without some difficulty as Cal State Bakersfield stranded two runners on the basepaths in the second inning, had a runner thrown out at the plate, also in the second frame, and left the bases loaded in the third.

Naess scattered nine hits and surrendered all four Roadrunner runs with three walks and four strikeouts, throwing 105 pitches over five innings. Chris Downs pitched three scoreless frames in relief of Naess and Nick Bonn was summoned from the bullpen with two outs and Cal State Bakersfield runners on every base in the ninth. Bonn earned his fourth save by securing the final out, a grounder to second base.

Naess had a similar experience as a freshman against the Roadrunners in 2024, allowing four runs and five hits over three innings with three walks and no strikeouts. His Mustang teammates, however, rallied to win the game in 11 innings, 5-4.

The loss went to sophomore right-hander Ryan King (0-2) as the Roadrunner pitcher surrendered six runs and seven hits over three innings. A year ago at Hardt Field in Bakersfield, King pitched seven scoreless innings, scattering five hits, in a no-decision against the Mustangs, who rallied for four runs in the ninth frame off Roadrunner relievers to erase a 1-0 deficit and win the series opener 4-1.

Now hitting .333 in four conference games and .334 during its six-game winning streak, Cal Poly amassed 16 hits on Friday; Tayman and Murray each collecting three of the hits and combining for all eight RBIs. Nate Castellon, Alejandro Garza, Cam Hoiland, Dante Vachini and Gavin Spiridonoff all added a pair of hits.

Tayman hit his first collegiate grand slam Tuesday in the fourth inning against Fresno State.

With the win, Cal Poly is 4-1 in the last 11 years playing on Friday the 13th with wins over Cal State Fullerton in 2022, UC Davis in 2021 and UC Irvine in 2016. The lone loss was to Campbell in the 2026 season opener, 5-2, on Feb. 13.

Cal Poly has five hitters at or above the .400 mark in the first four conference games, led by Murray at .421 and Spiridonoff, Castellon and Tayman with .412 marks. Hoiland sports a .400 average in Big West contests.

Second game of the series will be played Saturday at 3:05 p.m. with Cal Poly freshman right-hander Corden Pettey (1-1, 4.32 ERA) to make his second collegiate start, facing Cal State Bakersfield junior righty Shane McAlinden (1-3, 11.94 ERA).

First pitch for Sunday's series finale is set for 1:05 p.m.