GAME RECAP: Cal Poly Gets Past the Gaels to Advance to First Super Regional in Program History

WESTWOOD, CA — The Cal Poly Mustangs didn’t just win the LA Regional Final Sunday night at Jackie Robinson Stadium. They punched their ticket to history.

Trailing 2-0 early against a gritty Saint Mary’s club that refused to go quietly, Cal Poly erupted for four runs in the sixth inning and rode a lights-out pitching performance to a 5-2 victory. The win sends the Mustangs to their first Super Regional in program history. They’ll host the winner of the Morgantown Regional — either West Virginia or Kentucky — starting next weekend.

Saint Mary’s jumped out quick. In the second, Ian Josephson walked, moved to second on a groundout, and scored on Jared Mettam’s double to right-center. An inning later, Tanner Griffith — who finished 3-for-3 with a double and a triple — came around on Makoa Sniffen’s RBI single down the left-field line. It was 2-0 Gaels, and the Mustangs were staring at elimination.

But Josh Volmerding wouldn’t let the game slip away.

The big right-hander from who knows where (he just showed up and dealt) tossed six innings of two-run ball, striking out seven and scattering five hits. He kept the Gaels off balance all night, and once the offense woke up, the Mustangs never looked back.

Cal Poly scratched across its first run in the fifth when Casey Murray Jr. singled, stole second, and came home on Nate Castellon’s RBI single to left. The play also included a throwing error that let Castellon reach second, but the bigger story was the scoreboard: 2-1, game on.

Then came the sixth.

Ryan Tayman led off and launched a solo homer to left field to tie it at 2-2. Cam Hoiland walked. Murray Jr. singled. And with two on and one out, Gavin Spiridonoff stepped in and crushed a three-run homer to left that cleared the bases and put the Mustangs up 5-2 for good. Just like that, the regional final had its turning point.

Volmerding handed the ball to Corden Pettey for the seventh, and closer Nick Bonn came on for the final two frames. Bonn, who now has 17 saves on the year, was filthy — two perfect innings with a pair of strikeouts to slam the door shut.

Offensively, Murray Jr. was everywhere: 2-for-3, two runs scored, a walk. Spiridonoff drove in three with that one swing. Alejandro Garza added a couple of hits, and the rest of the lineup did enough to keep the line moving. Nine hits total. Zero errors. Clean baseball when it counted most.

Saint Mary’s got six hits but couldn’t string anything together after the third inning. Griffith was a menace at the top of the order, but the Gaels left five runners on base and couldn’t solve Volmerding or the bullpen.

For the Mustangs, this one felt different. It wasn’t the 14-run explosion from the night before. This was gut-check baseball — coming from behind on the biggest stage the program has ever seen, getting a gem from the starter, and cashing in when the bats finally woke up.

Now the celebration can be short. Super Regionals are here. First time ever for Cal Poly baseball. Cal Poly will await the winner of the Morgantown regional between West Virginia and Kentucky tomorrow.