UC Riverside Baseball Can't Hold Lead, Falls 7-5 To #3 Cal Poly

Saturday, May 3

Riverside, CA

6:00 pm

UC Riverside

20-22, 0

Cal Poly

37-9, 0

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Cal Poly	0	0	0	0	1	1	2	3	0	7	10	0
UC Riverside	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	0	5	9	2

Photo by: Carlos Puma

UC Riverside Baseball Can't Hold Lead, Falls 7-5 To #3 Cal Poly

5/3/2014 10:32:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Riverside—The UC Riverside Baseball Team led 3-0 through four innings Saturday night against the #3 team in the nation, but Cal Poly battled back scoring seven runs over the final five innings to secure the 7-5 victory (Box Score).

For the second day in a row, the Highlanders (20-22, 8-6) jumped on the Mustangs starter, this time touching Justin Calomeni for three runs over three and a third innings. Joe Chavez led off the first with a double to left center and moved to third on a sac bunt by Devyn Bolasky. Francisco Tellez drew a walk, and one batter later, Tellez and Chavez pulled off a double steal to put UC Riverside up 1-0. David Andriese then singled up the middle scoring Tellez with the Highlanders' second run of the night.

Meanwhile, UCR starter Zach Varela (5-3) gave up just one hit through four innings of work. The Highlanders made it a 3-0 game in the bottom of the fourth thanks to some wildness by Calomeni. The freshman righty gave up three consecutive walks to Drake Zarate, Matt Ellis and Cody Hough loading the bases for Chavez who lifted a fly ball to center scoring Zarate. Bolasky then beat out an infield hit, but Ellis was thrown out in a rundown between third and home ending the inning.

Cal Poly (37-9, 13-4) got to Varela in the top if the fifth when Brian Mundell tripled to center field to open the inning. Bolasky had a play on the ball, but crashed into the wall and was unable to hold on for the catch. One batter later, Ryan Drobny lifted a fly ball to left cutting the Highlanders advantage to two.

The Mustangs picked up another run in the top of the sixth as Justin Ellis doubled to left center and moved to third on a wild pitch. Chris Hoo then laid down a suicide squeeze that Varela pounced on in front of the mound. His toss to Ellis at the plate was in time, but the sophomore couldn't hold on to the ball, allowing Cal Poly to pull to within one.

Taylor Chris (4-0) took over on the mound for Calomeni in the fourth, and he kept the Highlanders off the scoreboard over 3.1 innings.

Cal Poly took the lead in the top of the seventh thanks to a Mark Mathias single up the middle which scored Brian Mundell and Peter Van Gansen. They made it a 7-3 ball game in the very next inning plating a pair of runs off of Jordan Kron and one off of Kevin Sprague.

The Highlanders weren't done though, as they touched Mustangs closer Reed Reilly for two hits and two walks, the last of which came on a Tellez single to right which scored a pair. Unfortunately, Reilly was able to retire the side in order in the bottom of the ninth for his eighth save of the season.

UC Riverside and Cal Poly play the rubber match of their three-game Big West Conference series on Sunday beginning at 1 pm PT.