Sunday, April 23
UC Riverside
1
vs
7
Cal Poly
Mustangs Take Series, 7-1
4/23/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Cal Poly used two big innings on Sunday to take the series at UC Riverside with a 7-1 victory at the Riverside Sports Complex. The Highlanders fall to 20-15, 3-3 in the Big West Conference, while the Mustangs improve to 23-18, 7-5.
After splitting the first two games of the series, the teams matches zeroes on the scoreboard for the first four innings. Cal Poly, who has now taken five straight series from UCR, broke through in the fifth with three runs off of Highlander junior starter Taylor Bills (4-2). Bryan Kepner led off with a single and scored on a double by Brent Morel. After a passed ball moved Morel to third, Pat Pezet, who entered the game 1-for-21 on the season, smashed a two-run home run over the rightfield fence to make it 3-0.
UCR came up with a run in the sixth as junior CF Brett Bigler and senior 3B Brian Steinmeyer hit consecutive singles to open the inning. A sacrifice bunt moved the runners up and sophomore C Jeff Dunbar delivered a sacrifice fly to plate Bigler. But that would be the last of the Highlander scoring as the Mustangs gave themselves a comfortable advantage with four runs in the eighth off of UCR junior reliever Dan Runzler. A walk, three singles, a triple, and a sacrifice fly provided all the offense Cal Poly would need.
Casey Fien (4-1) threw seven innings of six-hit ball, allowing the one run while walking one and striking out three. D.J. Mauldin pitched the final two innings without conceding a hit.
Bills suffered the defeat, giving up three runs on six hits and three walks in five innings. He struck out two. Runzler was tagged for four runs on three hits in 2 2/3 innings. Junior RHP Daniel Stange cleaned up with 1 1/3 innings of one-hit work.
Bigler had his 17th multi-hit game of the season with a 3-for-3 effort. Steinmeyer went 2-for-4 with junior 2B Kyle Barratt collecting the only other Highlander hit.
After splitting the first two games of the series, the teams matches zeroes on the scoreboard for the first four innings. Cal Poly, who has now taken five straight series from UCR, broke through in the fifth with three runs off of Highlander junior starter Taylor Bills (4-2). Bryan Kepner led off with a single and scored on a double by Brent Morel. After a passed ball moved Morel to third, Pat Pezet, who entered the game 1-for-21 on the season, smashed a two-run home run over the rightfield fence to make it 3-0.
UCR came up with a run in the sixth as junior CF Brett Bigler and senior 3B Brian Steinmeyer hit consecutive singles to open the inning. A sacrifice bunt moved the runners up and sophomore C Jeff Dunbar delivered a sacrifice fly to plate Bigler. But that would be the last of the Highlander scoring as the Mustangs gave themselves a comfortable advantage with four runs in the eighth off of UCR junior reliever Dan Runzler. A walk, three singles, a triple, and a sacrifice fly provided all the offense Cal Poly would need.
Casey Fien (4-1) threw seven innings of six-hit ball, allowing the one run while walking one and striking out three. D.J. Mauldin pitched the final two innings without conceding a hit.
Bills suffered the defeat, giving up three runs on six hits and three walks in five innings. He struck out two. Runzler was tagged for four runs on three hits in 2 2/3 innings. Junior RHP Daniel Stange cleaned up with 1 1/3 innings of one-hit work.
Bigler had his 17th multi-hit game of the season with a 3-for-3 effort. Steinmeyer went 2-for-4 with junior 2B Kyle Barratt collecting the only other Highlander hit.
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