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SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Center fielder Ollie Linton’s two-run single up the middle drove in the tying and go-ahead runs in the fourth inning and catcher Francis Larson and designated hitter Brock Bardeen added home runs for insurance as No. 7 UC Irvine clinched its Big West Conference baseball series at Cal Poly on Sunday with a 10-6 victory before 1,182 in Baggett Stadium.

Larson’s two-run shot in the fifth, his fifth of the year, extended UC Irvine’s lead to 5-2 and Bardeen belted a solo shot in the fourth, his second, as the Anteaters improved to 19-3 for the season and 2-1 in the Big West.

Cal Poly, which entered the series with a .316 team batting average, hit just .235 against UC Irvine and fell to 9-14 overall and 1-2 in the Big West with its seventh loss in the last nine games.

The Mustangs jumped to a 2-0 lead in the second inning on a squeeze bunt by senior catcher Josh Thomas and an RBI bloop single to right field by Luke Yoder, extending his hitting streak to 13 games.

UC Irvine went ahead 5-2 with three runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth. Cal Poly closed the gap to 5-3 with a run in the seventh as senior second baseman Pat Pezet singled, junior center fielder Logan Schafer doubled to right and senior shortstop Brent Morel grounded out, scoring Pezet.

But the visiting Anteaters pulled away with a four-run eighth-inning rally highlighted by shortstop Ben Orloff’s two-run double to left-center field. Cal Poly scored three times in the bottom of the eighth on a wild pitch and Pezet’s two-run single to right, but it was too little, too late.

Southpaw Daniel Bibona (4-1) allowed three runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings with three walks and six strikeouts. Eric Pettis secured the final four outs for his seventh save.

The loss went to Mustang sophomore right-hander Steven Fischback (3-2), who surrendered five runs and eight hits in six-plus innings with one walk and five strikeouts. The home runs by Larson and Bardeen were only the second and third given up by Fischback this season.

UC Irvine outhit Cal Poly 12-9, led by Orloff, Larson, Bardeen and left fielder Tony Asaro, each with two hits.

Pezet and left fielder Ryan Lee each had two hits for Cal Poly.

For the series, Lee, Dorrell and Pezet all went 4-for-12 for the Mustangs while Schafer and Yoder both were 3-for-10.

Cal Poly returns to action next weekend with a three-game Big West series at Cal State Northridge. Friday’s game begins at 3 p.m., followed by 1 o’clock contests Saturday and Sunday.