Mustangs Sweep Series Over CSUN to Take Sole First Place in Standings

Sunday, April 26

San Luis Obispo, CA

1:05 PM

24-18, 15-6

CSUN

22-20, 11-13

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
CSUN	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	9	1
Cal Poly	0	0	0	1	2	2	0	0	X	5	10	1

Photo by: Owen Main | Cal Poly Athletics

Mustangs Sweep Series Over CSUN to Take Sole First Place in Standings

4/26/2026 9:45:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Ryan Tayman snapped a 1-1 tie with a two-run home run in the fifth inning and Corden Pettey earned his third win with his third quality start of the season as Cal Poly completed its third sweep of a Big West baseball series with a 5-2 victory over CSUN before 2,384 fans Sunday inside Baggett Stadium.

Tayman's 13th home run of the year with two outs and Jake Downing at first base came on an 0-0 pitch delivered by Logan Miller (0-1) and gave the Mustangs the lead for good at 3-1.

Pettey improved to 3-2 by allowing just two earned runs and scattering six hits over six innings with a pair of walks and six strikeouts. Troy Cooper tossed two scoreless frames and Nick Bonn earned his 11th save of the year with one inning of work on the mound.

Cal Poly improved to 24-18 for the season and 15-6 in Big West games, all alone in first place. Former co-leader UC San Diego (14-7) fell to UC Irvine 9-7 as the Anteaters scored four times in the ninth inning to overcome a 6-5 deficit. UC Santa Barbara dropped a 6-1 decision to Cal State Fullerton, leaving both the Gauchos and Titans tied for third place with 13-8 conference records, two games behind the Mustangs.

Earning its 14th come-from-behind win Sunday, Cal Poly tied the game at 1-1 in the fourth on Dante Vachini's RBI single to left field and took the lead for good with Tayman's blast to left-center field in the fifth.

"We did just enough from an offensive standpoint, scoring enough runs to win," said 24th-year Mustang head coach Larry Lee. "At times (in the series) we played solid defense, and then pitching-wise, we were okay. We got better as the weekend progressed. In the final game of the series today, we had three guys throw extremely well with Pettey, Cooper and Bonn."

CSUN closed the gap to 3-2 on a sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth before Cal Poly tallied a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the frame on Vachini's second run-scoring single of the game and an RBI single off the bat of Nate Castellon.

The Matadors had baserunners in each of the last three innings, but a 4-6-3 double play in the seventh, a foul pop-up caught by Downing in the eighth and another foul pop-up, this one caught by Bonn near home plate in the ninth, thwarted the rallies.

Castellon produced his eighth three-hit game of the year, all singles, while Vachini and Cam Hoiland each added a pair of hits for Cal Poly.

CSUN, which also had 10 hits, was led by Matthew Thomas with a double and two singles, Matthew Pena and Trent Abel both contributed a pair of hits.

Cal Poly, which hit .330 in the series, sports a .335 average in Big West games and .306 overall, producing double-digit hits in nine of its last 10 games.

"You're not going to put up 15, 16 hits every game and score seven or eight runs," Lee added. "Overall I thought it was a real solid weekend for us. We had nine solid innings on the mound today, a quality win for us.

"Pettey was good. Cooper has progressed both from a pitching mix standpoint but also the right mindset. You can have quality pitches, but if you lack on the mental and the competitive side of it, it usually doesn't work out. Coop has been really, really good. And Bonn earned two saves for us this weekend," Lee said.

Mustang lefty Josh Morano left Saturday's game after just five pitches due to a shoulder injury and was not available Sunday. He is listed as day to day.

"We're still looking and we're still trying to get a few more pitchers added to the mix because that's how you're successful," said Lee. "You can't always rely on your starters. Your relievers are going to come in some tight situations. Reverting back, you have to have the right mindset and you have to have the quality of pitches in your arsenal."

Castellon was 7-for-12 in the series with three RBIs while Downing, Dylan Kordic and Casey Murray Jr. all recorded four hits in three games.

"It's difficult to sweep a team," Lee said of his team's third Big West sweep. "We didn't lose any ground and hopefully opened up our lead." It was 15 minutes later that Lee learned of UC San Diego's loss to UC Irvine.

Cal Poly wraps up a four-game home stand Tuesday with a 5 p.m. non-conference contest against Santa Clara at Baggett Stadium. The Mustangs then head out of town the next two weekends, visiting UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton for key Big West series.