RIVERSIDE – Sophomore Anna Cahn’s career-high five-RBI performance included a three-run homer and the lefthander faced just three UC Riverside batters above the minimum and yielded four hits as the No. 21 Cal Poly softball team captured its second Big West Conference championship during the previous three seasons and an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament Saturday afternoon with a 11-1, six-inning defeat of the Highlanders at Amy S. Harrison Field in the regular-season finale for both programs.

 

Cahn (above) also added a pair of run-scoring sacrifice flies for Cal Poly (39-10, 18-3), which entered play Saturday leading second-place Cal State Fullerton (29-19, 17-4) by a single game atop the Big West standings. Needing only a win to return the conference title to the central coast, the Mustangs capped a three-game sweep of UC Riverside (18-32, 7-14) by posting their highest run total since downing UC Santa Barbara, 12-5, April 4.

 

Cal Poly will make its second postseason appearance at the Division I level when the regional phase of NCAA Tournament begins Friday, May 15. The field of 64 teams, 16 regional venues and opening-game pairings will be unveiled live Sunday, May 10 at 7 p.m. on ESPNU.

 

Cal Poly, which had already set single-season program records for overall winning percentage (.796), conference winning percentage (.857), conference victories, fewest conference defeats and fewest overall defeats, matched the 2007 Mustang squad’s mark for single-year victories with Saturday’s triumph.

 

The Mustangs, who swept Friday’s doubleheader, 8-2 and 4-0, failed to trail at any point during the series as a flyout from Cahn in foul territory during the top of the first scored senior left fielder Jenna Maiden.

 

The Highlanders equalized during their half of the second as designated player Marissa Alvidrez sailed a solo homer over the left field fence. Cal Poly’s championship riposte was swift, however. In the third, Cahn once again scored Maiden with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to left field before senior shortstop Melissa Pura unloaded a double off the base of the left field wall to plate senior second baseman Stephanie Tam for 3-1 advantage.

 

Cary added a one-out sacrifice fly to right field in the fourth that plated freshman right fielder Nora Sobczak before Cahn belted her sixth homer of the year over the left field fence.

 

Cal Poly capped its scoring in the sixth as freshman pinch hitter Capri Ruiz earned her first collegiate RBI with a bases-loaded walk to score Pura. With two outs, Maiden cleared the bases with a single to short right field.

 

Maiden and Pura also finished with two hits apiece while Tam set a new career high with three walks.

 

Cal Poly matched a season-high effort by turning three double plays.