Cal Poly wins slugfest in Northridge

May 16, 2014

The Cal State Northridge baseball team has a total of four home runs all season. On Friday afternoon in Northridge, Cal Poly matched that total in five innings.

Mustang second baseman Mark Mathias led off the game with a home run, and four batters later, left fielder Zach Zehner blasted one over the left field fence, giving the Mustangs two homers in the first inning. Third baseman Jimmy Allen then homered in both the fourth and fifth innings, putting Cal Poly up 8-0.

The Mustangs went on to win a slugfest 16-10.

Junior lefty Matt Imhof, likely making the final regular season start of his collegiate career, went seven innings, allowing three runs. After Imhof exited, hitters teed off on relief pitching and both teams scored a total of seven runs in the eighth and ninth innings.

Cal Poly finished with 21 hits, 11 of which went for extra bases. Northridge collected 14 hits.

Upper 90s heat and a consistent breeze blowing out to left field aided the offensive outbursts.

Following Friday’s win, Cal Poly is 43-10 overall and 17-5 in the Big West Conference. The Mustangs only have two games remaining in the regular season, which will take place at 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday against Northridge (18-33, 6-13).

On Friday night, first-place UC Irvine lost its home series opener to Cal State Fullerton 9-1. The loss dropped the Anteaters to 15-4 in the conference.

If Cal Poly wins its two remaining games, Irvine must win its next two against Fullerton and sweep Long Beach State next weekend in order to claim the conference crown.

Cal Poly will send Casey Bloomquist (11-1, 1.52) to the mound Saturday against Jerry Keel (0-9, 3.47) of Northridge.