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STOCKTON, Calif. – Cal Poly hit a season-high four home runs and junior right-hander DJ Mauldin scattered 12 hits over eight innings as the No. 16/21 Mustangs defeated Pacific 12-7 in the opener of a three-game Big West Conference baseball series on a drizzly Thursday night at Klein Family Field.

Sophomore third baseman J.J. Thompson hit his second home run of the season, a three-run shot in the sixth inning, to break the game open as Cal Poly earned its sixth straight win and improved to 23-7 overall and 4-3 in Big West games.

Despite a 14-hit offensive attack, Pacific fell to 11-17 and 4-3.

Thompson finished with three hits while freshman second baseman Matt Jensen, sophomore designated hitter D.J. Gentile, junior left fielder Luke Yoder and junior catcher Ross Brayton all had two hits as Cal Poly put together a 15-hit attack, the sixth time in their last seven games that the Mustangs reached double digits in hits.

Cal Poly’s three players with double-digit hitting streaks all extended them Thursday night.

Senior center fielder Ryan Lee now has a 20-game hitting streak, five short of the school record, following his sixth-inning bunt single. Jensen extended his streak to 17 games with a solo home run in the third inning and Gentile has a 12-game streak after his sixth-inning single.

Mauldin (4-2) walked two and struck out six en route to the win, allowing five runs, all earned. Freshman Jeff Johnson pitched the ninth frame, giving up two runs and two hits.

The loss went to Pacific starter Larry Holscher (1-2), who surrendered 10 runs and 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Cal Poly overcame an early 1-0 deficit with three runs in the second inning. Thompson tied the game at 1-1 with an RBI grounder to shortstop, Brayton broke the tie with a run-scoring double down the left-field line and junior shortstop Kyle Smith singled to knock in the third run.

Jensen’s solo home run, his eighth of the year, in the third inning gave Cal Poly a 4-1 cushion.

Thompson’s three-run blast down the left-field line increased the Mustang lead to 7-2. Junior right fielder Adam Melker followed with a two-run double to right field and Jensen capped the six-run rally with a run-scoring double down the left-field line for a 10-2 Cal Poly advantage.

Yoder’s fourth home run of the season, a solo shot in the seventh inning, made it 11-4 and Gentile added a solo blast of his own to straightaway center field in the ninth, also his fourth of the season, for the final Mustang run of the game.

Pacific was led offensively by left fielder Nick Longmire and second baseman J.B. Brown, each with three hits. Brown knocked in a pair of runs for the Tigers.

Cal Poly has beaten Pacific 15 times in their last 18 meetings.

Second game of the series is scheduled for Friday night at 5:30, with freshman right-hander Mason Radeke (2-1, 6.87 ERA) on the mound for Cal Poly against Pacific senior southpaw Joey Centanni (3-3, 3.59 ERA).

Saturday’s series finale starts at 1 o’clock.