Mustangs Fend Off Cal State Fullerton Rally to Even Series

Saturday, May 9

Fullerton, CA

5:00 PM

28-21, 0

Cal State Fullerton

22-27, 0

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Cal Poly	0	0	1	2	0	1	3	0	0	7	12	1
Cal State Fullerton	1	0	0	0	0	1	4	0	0	6	4	1

Mustangs Fend Off Cal State Fullerton Rally to Even Series

5/10/2026 12:30:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

FULLERTON, Calif. -- Jake Downing drove in four runs with a home run and single while Carson Turnquist earned his sixth victory and Nick Bonn notched his 12th save as Cal Poly edged Cal State Fullerton 7-6 in a Big West baseball game Saturday night at Goodwin Field.

The triumph evened the conference series at a game apiece and the Mustangs kept pace with UC Santa Barbara, a 5-4 winner at CSUN, atop the Big West standings, both with 18-8 marks. Cal Poly is 28-21 for the season.

Paul Contreras doubled down the left-field line to knock in the first run of the game in the opening frame for Cal State Fullerton. Cal Poly answered in the third on Dylan Kordic's RBI double to the gap in left-center field.

In the top of the fourth, Cal Poly grabbed the lead for good. Cam Hoiland drew a leadoff walk and Downing hit his second home run of the year, a two-run shot to right-center field for a 3-1 advantage.

Nate Castellon's two-out single to center field gave the Mustangs a 4-1 lead in the sixth and Andrew Kirchner answered with a solo home run to right-center field, his seventh of the season, in the bottom of the frame, cutting Cal Poly's lead to 4-2.

The Mustangs put up a three-spot in the seventh. Hoiland singled to left field for one run and Downing's single up the middle provided Cal Poly a 7-2 cushion.

Back came the Titans in the bottom of the seventh with four runs to make it a one-run game at 7-6. A wild pitch on ball four allowed the first run to score and Contreras smashed a three-run home run to left-center field, his 12th of the year, to cap the uprising.

Turnquist (6-2) allowed two runs and three hits in his first six innings of work on the mound before walking the first two Titan batters in the seventh and reaching the 100-pitch mark for his third consecutive outing.

Bonn relieved Turnquist and surrendered the wild pitch and three-run home run before settling down and getting out of the inning with a strikeout and two groundouts.

Bonn was lights out in the final two frames of his three-inning stint on the mound, recording a flyout and two strikeouts in the eighth and two more strikeouts and a groundout in the ninth. Bonn retired nine of the final 10 Titan batters of the game, giving up only an intentional walk with two outs in the ninth. The senior righty struck out five.

The loss was charged to Cal State Fullerton right-hander Bobby Mahoney (2-3) as he surrendered the go-ahead two-run home run to Downing in the fourth inning, his final frame of work.

Cal Poly outhit Cal State Fullerton 12-4, led by Downing with two singles and a home run. Kordic, Alejandro Garza and Gavin Spiridonoff each added two hits for the Mustangs.

Contreras, who had four hits in Friday's 4-3 Titan win, added two more hits and four RBIs Saturday. It was Contreras who was walked intentionally with two outs in the ninth before Cameron Kim, representing what could have been the winning run, struck out to end the game.

Cal Poly evened its record in one-run games at 6-6while Cal State Fullerton fell to 3-11 in games decided by one run this season.

There were two defensive plays by the Mustangs of note. Kordic made a diving catch of a line drive in right field off the bat of Esteban Olazaba, saving a run and ending the first inning. Downing, racing to second on a Titan hit-and-run play, reversed course, snared a grounder hit behind him by Max Ortega and made the throw to first base for the first out of the fourth frame. The Titans eventually stranded two runners on base in that inning.

UC San Diego (15-11 Big West) remains third in the conference standings despite its 10-8 loss at Cal State Bakersfield while Cal State Fullerton (22-27 overall) and Hawai'i share fourth place with 14-12 conference records. Hawai'i fell 4-2 at UC Davis on Saturday.

Sunday's rubber match begins at 1:05 p.m. with junior southpaw Josh Volmerding (0-0, 7.59 ERA) of Cal Poly to face Cal State Fullerton sophomore right-hander Dylan Smith (3-5, 5.09 ERA). Volmerding, who pitched one inning in last weekend's UC Irvine series, will be making his first start since March 15, sidelined for seven weeks due to a lower body injury.