CSUB baseball overwhelmed by Cal Poly offense in 12-4 loss

"We need to learn from tonight's effort level and the outcomes that did go on in the ball game, our approaches," CSUB coach Jeremy Beard said. "I felt like we could have done a better job of competing every pitch, whereas we did seem to cruise a little bit in those middle innings, and they took advantage of momentum."

Whereas the Roadrunners managed just one additional run after the first inning — an RBI double by James Bell to score Matthew Kurata — the Mustangs struck early and often.

Left fielder Collin Villegas went 4-for-5 with an impressive four doubles. Five more Cal Poly players recorded multi-hit games, including CSUB transfer Aaron Casillas, who started poorly with a first-inning fielding error and second-inning bases-loaded groundout, but ended up 3-for-5 with an RBI. Designated hitter Taison Corio went 1-for-1 and walked four times in the No. 9 spot.

This production up and down the lineup allowed the Mustangs to shell starter Ryan Verdugo, who allowed six runs on 12 hits in 4 2/3 innings. He breezed through the first inning before a Villegas lead-off double, Ryan Fenn RBI single and eventual Wyatt King solo home run kicked the opposing offense into gear.

"He wasn't getting ahead in counts," Beard said. "That was the disappointing part of his outing. The other part of that was, once he got behind in counts, they took advantage of good pitches to hit."

Cal Poly tied the game at 4-4 in the fourth inning when Verdugo allowed a string of four straight two-out singles, then took the lead when Jake Steels came around to score on a wild pitch.

CSUB, meanwhile, totaled just five hits in the final eight innings. Catcher Matthew Kurata, who continues to lead the Roadrunners' offense, went 3-for-4. He also stole home when AJ Miller ran for second base in the first inning and Ryan Stafford's throw required a diving play from Tate Shimao.

Neither Konnor Palmeira nor Connor Culp could bring home James Bell from third base in the third inning, and CSUB did not get another runner into scoring position after that, thanks in large part to the steady improvement of starter Bryce Warrecker and lockdown showings by relievers David True and Carlo Lopiccolo.

"I don't think we took enough quality at-bats," Beard said. "I felt like we could have put more balls in play and made them throw more often than strike out."

The Mustangs continued to pile on runs as the game drew on. After going up 6-4 on Casillas' RBI double in the fifth inning, Cal Poly loaded the bases to chase Verdugo. Marcelo Saldana allowed a bases-loaded walk to Steels before escaping the jam, but found himself in trouble again soon after and gave up a sacrifice fly to Fenn in the sixth.

The Mustangs' stampede featured two runs in each of the final two innings. Saldana's errant throw on a sacrifice bunt in the eighth, followed by a wild pitch, put Cal Poly up 10-4, then three straight hits and Fenn's second sacrifice fly set the final margin at eight runs.

"I think the faster we flush tonight and move onto tomorrow, the better off we are," Beard said.

The Roadrunners fell to 13-17 on the year (4-9 Big West Conference). They are 0-6 on the season the day after a series-opening loss, but will take on Cal Poly again Saturday.