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SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Sophomore third baseman J.J. Thompson started a 5-4-3 around-the-horn double play to finish off Cal Poly’s 6-5 victory over UC Santa Barbara in the second game of a three-game Big West Conference baseball series Saturday afternoon at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.

Coach Larry Lee’s Mustangs scored three times in the first inning and never looked back, improving their overall record to 28-10 and Big West mark to 9-5. The Gauchos, 6-5 winners over Cal Poly on Friday, fell to 23-13 and 6-5.

Rubber game of the series will be played Sunday at 1 p.m.

Sophomore southpaw Matt Leonard (5-1) allowed four runs and eight hits in 6 1/3 innings for the victory, walking three and striking out four. Senior right-hander Eric Massingham, the fourth Mustang pitcher of the game, earned his third save by pitching a scoreless ninth inning.

But the ninth was not without some drama as Gunnar Terhune drew a leadoff walk. Brian Gump, however, popped up a sacrifice bunt attempt to Mustang first baseman Wes Dorrell and Eric Oliver’s hard grounder to Thompson resulted in a game-ending double play, Cal Poly’s second twin-killing of the game.

The loss went to Gaucho southpaw Mario Hollands (4-4), who surrendered four runs and 10 hits in six innings with seven walks and three strikeouts.

With two outs and the bases empty in the first inning, Cal Poly put together four hits and a walk for three runs and a 3-0 lead. Buschini singled home the first run and Thompson’s single to left field knocked in the other two.

Freshman second baseman Matt Jensen singled to left field for an RBI and a 4-1 Mustang lead in the fourth.

It was 4-3 when junior left fielder Luke Yoder greeted Gaucho reliever Jesse Meaux with a solo home run to center field and a 5-3 Mustang advantage in the seventh frame.

After the Gauchos trimmed the deficit to a single run again on Gump’s solo home run to right in the bottom of the seventh, Cal Poly restored its two-run cushion on a squeeze bunt by Buschini, scoring Jensen for a 6-4 lead.

UC Santa Barbara once again closed the gap to a single run on Shane Carlson’s infield single in the bottom of the eighth, but senior southpaw Jared Eskew relieved junior right-hander Mark DeVincenzi and induced pinch-hitter Steve Cook to strike out, ending the inning.

Cal Poly outhit the Gauchos 14-10, led by Jensen’s three hits, two runs scored and one RBI. Yoder, senior center fielder Ryan Lee and freshman right fielder Bobby Crocker each added two hits for the Mustangs.

Lee’s school-record 26-game hitting streak as well as Jensen’s 23-game skein ended Friday.

Oliver and Carlson both had a pair of hits for UC Santa Barbara.

Freshman right-hander Mason Radeke (3-1, 5.35 ERA) will start on the mound for Cal Poly in Sunday’s series finale against Gaucho senior right-hander Zach Samuels (2-2, 4.15 ERA).