SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - The Highlanders looked to bounce back at Cal Poly tonight after dropping the first game of the series, 14-9. UC Riverside rallied late to tie things up at five, but were walked-off in the ninth and fell, 6-5.
UC Riverside sent
Matthew O'Brien to the mound for his 12th start of the year and he looked to get back to a .500 record. The lefty went 5.1 innings and gave up five runs (four earned) and got the no decision.
Joshua Martinez entered the game in the sixth and threw the ball well. He went the final 3.1 innings of the night and the lone run he surrendered saddled him with his seventh loss of the year.
The Mustangs got a run in the first and scored three in the second. Trailing 4-0, UCR plated two in the third inning.
Andrew Rivas gapped on to left-center and drove in
Robert Pitts and
Joshua Torres, making it 4-2 Cal Poly. In the top of the fifth, Rivas came up again and lined out to right scoring Torres. That was Rivas' third RBI on the evening and 23rd RBI on the year.
Cal Poly scored in the sixth on a homer making it, 5-3.
Manoah Chapman hit his first homer of the year, and his first as a Highlander, in the seventh inning. His two-run shot tied it at five and also game him 25 RBI on the year, tied for the team lead with
David Whittle.
A two out RBI single in the bottom of the ninth gave Cal Poly the win and the series win. The final game of the year for the Highlanders is tomorrow afternoon at 1PM.