Baseball

Cal Poly Football Opens 2010 Season at Home Against Humboldt State on Sept. 4 and Montana on Sept. 11.

[ More ]

Baseball

Click to enlarge

No. 17/25 Mustangs Silenced by Houston, 3-2, in Series Finale

BOX SCORE

HOUSTON, Texas – Shortstop Blake Kelso singled up the middle to drive in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning as Houston salvaged a victory in the final game of a three-game non-conference baseball series Sunday afternoon, edging No. 17/25 Cal Poly 3-2 at Cougar Field. Second baseman Taylor White tripled to open the seventh and one batter later Kelso’s single snapped a 2-2 deadlock and enabled the Cougars to halt their eight-game losing streak and ...

Published Mar 8th, by Eric Burdick

Second baseman Taylor White tripled to open the seventh and one batter later Kelso’s single snapped a 2-2 deadlock and enabled the Cougars to halt their eight-game losing streak and improve to 3-10 on the year.

Cal Poly, which had an eight-game winning streak snapped – longest since 1997 – fell to 8-2.

The Mustangs wasted a brilliant pitching performance by junior right-hander DJ Mauldin (1-1), who struck out a career-high 13 Houston batters and scattered nine hits. Mauldin did not allow a walk.

The win went to freshman right-hander Michael Goodnight (2-0), who shut down Cal Poly in the first six innings before surrendering two runs in the seventh. He finished with no walks and six strikeouts in seven innings of work.

William Kankel pitched a scoreless eighth and Donnie Joseph retired the Mustangs in order in the ninth for his first save.

Cal Poly, which produced 26 runs and 35 hits in winning the first two games of the series, 13-5 and 13-9, mustered just four hits Sunday.

The Mustangs stranded just two runners on the basepaths and had very few scoring opporunities.

Junior right fielder Adam Melker singled with out out in the first inning and stole second, but two strikeouts ended the threat. Junior designated hitter Luke Yoder and freshman left fielder Bobby Crocker both were hit by pitches with one out in the second frame, but Yoder was picked off second base and Crocker was thrown out trying to steal second.

Cal Poly finally broke through for two runs in the seventh. Melker douled into the right-field corner and eventually came home on a wild pitch. Freshman second baseman Matt Jensen followed with his team-leading fifth home run of the year, a solo shot to center field that tied the game at 2-2.

Crocker led off the eighth inning with a single to right and moved to second on a bunt sacrifice by sophomore third baseman J.J. Thompson, but junior shortstop Kyle Smith lined out to right and senior center fielder Ryan Lee flied out to center field to dash the threat.

Melker had two of Cal Poly’s four hits.

Kelso was 3-for-4 for Houston and first baseman Chase Dempsay added two hits. Both knocked in a run in the quick 2-hour, 15-minute game.

Cal Poly continues its eight-game road trip with five games on the road next week, visiting Pepperdine on Tuesday, San Jose State on Wednesday and Cal for a three-game weekend series in Berkeley.