Cal Poly won against UC Irvine with an 11-2 score on May 2, evening the best-of-three Big West baseball series at a game each.
The victory keeps Cal Poly at the top of the conference standings with a record of 16-7. The Mustangs are now 26-19 for the season, while UC Irvine falls to 20-24 overall and 10-13 in conference play.
Carson Turnquist pitched five shutout innings for Cal Poly, allowing only one hit and striking out five batters. He improved his season record to 5-2. Josh Volmerding returned from injury to pitch a perfect sixth inning, and Chris Downs earned his first save of the year by pitching three innings with four hits and two runs allowed.
Offensively, Cal Poly was led by Nate Castellon and Casey Murray Jr., who each had three hits. Dylan Kordic hit a three-run home run in the third inning and added a double later in the game. Jake Downing drove in three runs with contributions throughout several innings. Alejandro Garza also collected two hits, leading the team this season with 22 multiple-hit games.
UC Irvine’s Tommy Farmer prevented a shutout with a home run in the seventh inning. The Anteaters managed just one hit through six innings but scored again late in the ninth.
The deciding game of the series is scheduled for Sunday afternoon, featuring freshman right-handers Corden Pettey for Cal Poly and Hunter Manning for UC Irvine.
