Cal Poly completes sweep of Davis

March 30, 2014

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

The fifth-ranked Cal Poly Mustangs opened Big West Conference play with a sweep of UC Davis, capping the weekend series with a 9-1 victory Sunday.

Sophomore righty Casey Bloomquist pitched eight strong innings, allowing one unearned run and striking out six while walking just one batter. The Mustang offense pounded out 13 hits, including a home run and two triples.

Following the sweep of Davis, Cal Poly will likely hold its top-5 national ranking when polls are released Monday. The Mustangs now boast a 23-4 overall record about halfway through the season. The 23-4 mark is a program best at this point in the season.

On Sunday, both members of the Mustang’s sophomore double play combination, second baseman Mark Mathias and shortstop Peter Van Gansen, contributed three hits. Mathias, expected by many to be a defensive specialist this year, lifted his average to a team-best .378 on a day in which he tripled and drove in three runs.

Senior third baseman Jimmy Allen had two hits, including a sixth inning home run, his first of the season.

Cal Poly scored two runs in each of the first three innings, providing more than enough support for Bloomquist, who has developed into a reliable Sunday starter in his sophomore season. The sophomore righty improved his record to 6-0 and lowered his ERA to 1.48.

Starting pitching on Tuesdays and Saturdays remains a question, though, for Cal Poly as it heads into the thick of its Big West schedule. Head Coach Larry Lee said after the game that he has thought about making a rotation change, but for now, he plans to keep pitching freshman Slater Lee on Tuesdays and freshman Justin Calomeni on Saturdays. Both freshmen jumped out to hot starts to their college careers but have struggled in recent weeks, particularly in the role of Saturday starter.

“Just need to add another arm or two,” Lee said. “Need to get quality starts on Saturdays.”

Cal Poly hosts Cal State Bakersfield on Tuesday before currently 15th ranked UC Santa Barbara comes to San Luis Obispo for a three game series starting Friday at 6 p.m. Santa Barbara entered the weekend with a 17-3 record but lost two of three games at home to Hawaii.

Mustang star right fielder Nick Torres left Sunday’s game early but did not suffer an injury. Home plate umpire Carl Coles threw Torres out of the game in the bottom of the fifth. Coles objected to the junior right fielder’s reaction to getting called out on strikes.