20-16, 11-5
UC San Diego
15-18, 11-5
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cal Poly | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 1 |
| UC San Diego | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
Cal Poly Moves Back Atop Big West with 11-3 Smashing of Tritons
4/18/2026 12:55:00 AM | Baseball
LA JOLLA, Calif. — Jake Downing and Dylan Kordic provided the offensive firepower and Griffin Naess earned his fifth victory of the season as Cal Poly opened a crucial Big West series at UC San Diego with an 11-3 victory Friday night at Triton Ballpark.
Downing produced his third game of three or more hits in the last four weeks with three singles and a pair of RBIs while Kordic smashed his third home run in as many games and drove in three runs for the Mustangs.
Naess (5-2) earned his fifth quality start by scattering four hits over six innings, allowing two runs with three walks and six strikeouts. The junior right-hander threw 106 pitches and did not allow a run since the third inning.
With the win, Cal Poly moved into a three-way tie for first place in the conference with the host Tritons and UC Santa Barbara, all 11-5 with 14 games remaining for each team. The Gauchos defeated UC Irvine 7-3 at Anteater Ballpark.
UC San Diego scored the game's first run in the opening frame before Cal Poly bounced back with single runs in the second and third innings. After the Tritons tied the game at 2-2, the Mustangs pulled away with three runs in the fourth, single runs in the fifth and seventh frames and broke the game open with a four-spot in the eighth.
In the fourth, Alejandro Garza's grounder plus a Triton throwing error allowed two runs to score and Ryan Tayman drew a bases-loaded walk for a 5-2 Mustang lead.
It was 6-2 after Downing's RBI single to left-center field in the fifth inning and 7-2 after a groundout by Downing in the seventh.
In the eighth, Braxton Thomas singled to left-center field to drive in another run before Kordic hit a 408-foot three-run homer to straightaway center field to cap Cal Poly's scoring.
For Kordic, it was his fourth home run of the year, all in the last four weeks. The fifth-year right-fielder has driven in seven runs in Cal Poly's last three games and has elevated his batting average 83 points to .250 over the last four weeks.
Downing has gone 16-for-47 (.340) since and including the UC Riverside series four weeks ago to lift his average 84 points to .234. He did not have a three-hit game in his first 22 contests this season but has three in his last 12 starts.
While Naess earned the win, redshirt sophomore right-hander Steele Murdock, second in the Big West in strikeouts entering Friday's game with a fastball that has reached 97 miles per hour this season, suffered his second loss of the year.
One week after striking out 17 UC Santa Barbara batters with no walks over eight innings, Murdock (4-2) was relieved in the fifth inning Friday after giving up six runs (five earned) and five hits with six walks and a pair of strikeouts. He threw 99 pitches over 4 1/3 frames.
Following Naess to the mound for Cal Poly were Brady Estes, who tossed two scoreless frames, and Troy Cooper, who allowed an unearned run in the ninth. The three Mustang pitchers combined for nine strikeouts.
In addition to Downing's three singles, Kordic finished with a double and home run and Thomas added two singles and one RBI as Cal Poly outhit UC San Diego 11-5. Garza and Cam Hoiland both contributed doubles.
The Tritons' offense included solo home runs by Gabe Camacho in the first inning, his 11th of the year, and Michael Crossland in the third frame, his eighth.
While UC San Diego committed four errors, resulting in three unearned runs, Cal Poly turned in several excellent defensive plays, two by Naess fielding slow comebackers and throwing off his back foot or his knees to first base for outs, and Hoiland with a diving catch in left field to end the game.
Second game of the series will be played Saturday at 2:05 p.m. with Cal Poly redshirt junior right-hander Carson Turnquist (2-2, 4.29 ERA) to face UC San Diego redshirt sophomore righty Trevor Rector (0-1, 9.82 ERA).
Sunday's series finale starts at 1:05 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Naess, Griffin (5-2)
L: Murdock, Steele (4-2)
Batting:
2B: Garza, Alejandro 1 ; Hoiland, Cam 1 ; Kordic, Dylan 1
HR: Kordic, Dylan 1
RBI: Castellon, Nate 1 ; Garza, Alejandro 1 ; Tayman, Ryan 1 ; Thomas, Braxton 1 ; Kordic, Dylan 3 ; Downing, Jake 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Castellon, Nate 1 ; Hoiland, Cam 1 ; Tayman, Ryan 1 ; Murray Jr., Casey 1 ; Thomas, Braxton 3 ; Kordic, Dylan 2 ; Castro, Antonio 1 ; Downing, Jake 1
Batting:
HR: Crossland, Michael 1 ; Camacho, Gabe 1
RBI: Crossland, Michael 1 ; Camacho, Gabe 1
SH: Crossland, Michael 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Potestio, Anthony 1 ; Crossland, Michael 1 ; Camacho, Gabe 1
HBP: Camacho, Gabe 1 ; Costello, Nick 1
