Imhof solid as Cal Poly beats Sac State

Mark Mathias goes fishing after an RBI double in Friday night’s game. By Owen Main

With stuff Sacramento State head coach Reggie Christiansen described as “effectively wild,” Matt Imhof pitched 7 2/3 innings on Friday night giving up just one earned run and Cal Poly won their first regional game of 2014, 4-2 over Sacramento State.

Second baseman Mark Mathias and first baseman John Schuknecht — the first and last hitter in Cal Poly’s order — each had two hits to lead the Mustangs. Schuknecht just missed a third hit when a drive down the right field line landed just foul, beyond the left field wall.

The real story was Imhof, who threw 101 pitches in 7 2/3 innings, making Cal Poly’s four runs stand-up.

“If I walked a guy, or if a guy got on-base, for me it was just going back to the next pitch, kind of clearing it, and constantly battling and believing in myself and I just did that all game today,” said Imhof.

Christiansen agreed.

“I thought their guy Imhof was special,” said Christiansen. “The way our guys competed, I thought we were in the game. Cal Poly’s just a better team.”

Imhof had more walks (5) than strikeouts (4), a rarity for him. But he managed to give up only one earned run and got outs with runners on base when he needed to.

“Imhof’s just straight power,” said Sac State first baseman and WAC Player of the Year, Rhys Hoskins. “Obviously, he’s probably the hardest thrower we’ve seen all year. It took a little adjustment to get used to it.”

Cal Poly fans dominated the crowd, giving Imhof a standing ovation as he gave way to closer, Reed Reilly for the final four outs.

“The atmosphere was electric today,” said Imhof. “It was unbelievable — packed house. When I came off, that was the loudest I’ve ever heard a stadium in my entire life. The fans were really into the game. You could just kind of feel the energy. It’s one of those things that you don’t really get until you get into the postseason… . It was awesome.”

With the win, Cal Poly moves on to play Pepperdine tomorrow (Saturday) night at 6:00 pm. Sacramento State plays an elimination game against Arizona State at 1:00 pm.

Photos by Owen Main