A week after winning their first game of the season, Cal Poly had what was probably their worst effort of 2017, losing a senior night game to in-state rival Sacramento State 49-14. 

Sacramento State went up 28-0 at halftime with long touchdown passes from Kevin Thompson to Jaelin Ratliff and Andre Lindsey bookended by a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown and a fumble return for a touchdown. 

Meanwhile, Cal Poly couldn’t keep its offensive momentum from a week ago as the Mustangs failed to score through the first three quarters as the Hornets built a 49-0 lead before putting their reserves in. 

After the game, Tim Walsh took a lot of the blame upon himself. Despite Cal Poly’s 1-9 record, they have been competitive in most of their games this season. Saturday night, they weren’t. 

“Our motto all year long has been to fight the fight,” said Walsh. “And I don’t think we fought the fight tonight.”

Cal Poly managed two fourth-quarter touchdowns to avoid their first shutout since 1999.

JMO goes for 1,000

When Joe Protheroe went down at the beginning of the season, senior Jared Mohamed took the mantle as the Mustangs’ featured fullback. The Brawley, CA product led Cal Poly with 125 yards on 30 carries and went over the 1,000 yard mark on the season. It was his 6th 100-yard game en route to becoming the 21st player in Cal Poly history to notch 1,000 yards in a season. 

Cal Poly quarterback Jake Jeffrey was 13-20 passing for 148 yards and JJ Koski and Kyle Lewis tallied 67 and 60 yards respectively receiving.

Time of possession

Generally, Cal Poly has had a time of possession advantage in recent years, and it’s served them well. On Saturday night, they had the ball for over 38 minutes while Sacramento State had it for under 22. Unfortunately for the Mustangs, having the ball didn’t turn into points in their final home game of 2017. 

Is this really happening? Hornets record their third TD of 70+ yards tonight. This time from Perkinson who goes 77 yards for the score. pic.twitter.com/rqhjd8PqyO

— Hornet Athletics (@hornetsports) November 12, 2017

Greeley-bound 

The Mustangs, sitting at 1-9 on the season, have one game left. On Saturday, they’ll travel to Greeley, Colorado to face Northern Colorado. The Bears are 2-7 on the season and have lost six straight games. Kickoff in Greeley is set for 10:30AM Pacific Time. 

Photos from Saturday night below by Owen Main. 

For more photos, or to purchase photos, click here.  If you just want to contribute to the cause, Venmo @Owen-Main or paypal owen@fansmanship.com. 

With both Mark Mathias and Brian Mundell in the lineup, players like Zack Zehner (pictured) and Peter Van Gansen are able to spread the load of carrying the Mustang lineup. By Owen Main

After being shut-out in the middle two games of their series with Sacramento State, Cal Poly got first baseman Brian Mundell back and salvaged a series split with a 6-4 victory.

Mundell, who hadn’t played int he field in about three weeks with a hamstring injury, hit two home runs and drove in four in the 6-4 Cal Poly victory that improved Cal Poly’s record to 6-11 on the season.

Along with Mundell’s two home runs, three things stood out from the Sunday game.

Pitching backwards?

Larry Lee started Michael Gomez for the first time on Sunday afternoon. The freshman from Upland gave up four runs in three innings before giving way to Justin Calomeni, who has been the Sunday starter prior to this weekend.

Calomeni responded by pitching maybe his best game of the year. The sophomore righty gave up no runs, scattered three hits, and struck-out five and walked just one while pitching the final six innings of the game.

I kind of like the idea of experimenting with various pitchers given that Cal Poly is struggling to find consistency this year. I also like it with regard to the Times Through the Order Penalty, which is documented in the majors.

Mundell and Mathias in the lineup together

For the first time this season, Brian Mundell and Mark Mathias appeared in the lineup at the same time. Mundell, who has been the designated hitter each of the past two seasons, might have been able to do it again as he nurses his hamstring. But Mathias is still rehabbing from labrum surgery and so Mundell played in the field.

He didn’t seem to mind.

They win when they don’t make mistakes

Cal Poly hasn’t had a stellar defensive team to date this season. The few times they don’t make errors in games, they seem to be a lot more successful.

Sunday was just the fourth time in 17 games that Cal Poly has made zero errors. They are 3-1 in those games.

Trojans are coming

Next up for Cal Poly is USC this weekend. The Trojans are one of the best teams on the West coast this year and come in sporting a 17-3 record. They are also 12-time NCAA champions. The two teams split two games in Los Angeles last season on a rainy weekend.

Photos (from Saturday night) by Owen Main

Cal Poly junior All-American Casey Bloomquist had his best outing of the season in a Friday-night loss to Sacramento State. By Owen Main

On the surface, it was the same old thing for Cal Poly baseball and their fans. Three errors. Two unearned runs allowed. Zero sustained offense. A loss, this time to Sacramento State, by a score of 2-0.

But for a team searching for way to get better and a reason to believe in themselves going into the Big West season, Cal Poly may be feeling better about their ace, Casey Bloomquist. A 2014 All-American, Bloomquist threw 7 2/3 innings, striking out nine while walking just two. The only two runs Cal Poly gave up all game were two unearned runs in the fourth inning, when the Mustangs committed two errors. They had three errors for the game, the fifth time that has happened in just 15 games this season.

For their part, Mustang hitters didn’t exactly pick-up their junior Friday night starter. Sacramento State’s Brennan Leitao threw eight flawless innings, striking out seven without a walk while giving up just three hits.

Junior Brian Mundell came up in the ninth inning against Hornet closer Chad Perry with two outs and one on in the ninth inning, but Mundell flew out to left-center field to end the game. Either because of a slip out of the box or because his hamstring still isn’t right, Mundell hobbled his way down to first base. Watching him move, I would be surprised if he plays again this weekend.

Cal Poly and Sac State finish their four-game series Saturday night at 6:00 and Sunday at 1:00.

Photos by Owen Main

Nick Dzubnar gets to go first, simply because of his description of the “Sasquatch” — the celebration for which he was awarded an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Saturday night. Going through my photos and having been in that corner of the field when it all went down, it was really clear how quickly Dzubnar’s face changed when he saw he’d been flagged.

I’ve never seen a guy go from absolute joy to kind of stoic/angry that quickly. You could tell he was really disappointed in the penalty — it was the first thing he mentions in the conversation. He seems to have gotten past it in the interview though.

Tim Walsh also seems pretty upbeat. As he said, the win this past weekend makes next weekend relevant.

Roland Jackson Jr.’s first career touchdown catch proved to be a big momentum-swing in the second quarter. By Owen Main

For a moment, things looked pretty perilous for Cal Poly on Saturday night. The Mustangs found themselves struggling to find their offensive footing, down by ten points in the second quarter.

It was a moment for Cal Poly’s offense to re-establish something positive. Three plays later, they were seven points closer. After rushes of eight and seven yards, Cal Poly quarterback, Chris Brown, found receiver Roland Jackson, Jr. for a 52 yard bomb down the middle of the field. It was Jackson’s first touchdown catch of his career.

The Mustang offense never looked back, outscoring Sac State 42-3 over one stretch, silencing the Sac State homecoming crowd. They’d outscore the Hornets 49-10 to end the game.

Kori Garcia had the quietest 140-plus yard game ever. By Owen Main

The quietest 141 yard rushing performance ever

I don’t know why I was surprised, but somehow I was. Kori Garcia gained 141 yards on just 13 carries to lead Cal Poly in both categories on Saturday night.

Garcia, who scored one touchdown, averaged 10.8 yards per carry. Perhaps it was because he didn’t often run right at where I was standing on the field, but I wouldn’t have guessed he had that many yards. Garcia’s ability to be consistently efficient and effective as an option to break a long run is a really good thing going forward for Cal Poly.

Protheroe announces his presence — with authority

Freshman running back Joe Prothero had the best game of his young career. Backing-up Brandon Howe at fullback, Prothero gashed the Hornets for 72 yards on just four carries — and two touchdowns. His first score — a 62-yard dash to daylight — was the first touchdown of the second half, putting the Mustangs up 28-20. A 62-yard run from a fullback was a big momentum play.

Spreading the wealth

The Cal Poly offense once again racked-up 500-plus yards of total offense (504, to be exact), including 393 yards rushing. While Garcia was the only one to have more than 72 yards, six Mustangs ran for 40-plus yards, including two freshmen.

Over the past month, Brandon Howe and Chris Brown have taken a heavy load, which is why getting more players touches in a game like this might have been a really crucial thing. We know Montana and Montana State are going to be physical, so for Brown and Howe to get a somewhat lighter load (just 11 carries apiece) was good for Cal Poly.

Nick Dzubnar returns an interception on Saturday night. Dzubnar had 19 tackles in the game. By Owen Main

Defense wreaking havoc

While the offense has been humming for the past few weeks, Nick Dzubnar and the Cal Poly defense seem to be finally finding themselves. After holding Weber State to 24 points, Tim Walsh’s defense held a potent Sac State team to just 27.

For his part, Dzubnar — the team’s senior captain — had another monster game, tallying 19 tackles, a half-sack, one tackle for a loss, and an interception he returned 38 yards. Some of that yardage was mitigated by a 15-yard penalty for a celebration he calls the “Sasquatch,” but he should be in serious contention for Big Sky defensive player of the week this week.

Chris Fletcher also had a particularly solid game, with 11 tackles from his cornerback position. Jordan Williams also picked off a pass and was there to make a few key tackles. Sac State tried to break the Mustangs defense with a lot of wide receiver hitch and screen passes to the flat, but Cal Poly’s defense used improved tackling to keep the Hornets at bay.

Back in the mix

With the win, Cal Poly is now 3-1 in conference play and 4-3 overall, after a 1-3 start. When Cal Poly was 1-3 and 0-1 in conference play, lots of folks wrote them off. After three straight wins, they are in fourth place in the Big Sky Conference. Their next two opponents are the two teams directly above them in the standings — Montana and Montana State.

At the very least, Cal Poly has found their stride and given themselves a chance to compete — something hardcore fans would have given an arm and a leg for a month ago. With all the preseason distractions and early-season adjustments squarely in the rear view mirror, this is a team that believes.

IF they can somehow find a way to win the next two games (both at home), Cal Poly will vault themselves back into the national picture, the playoff picture, and definitely the Big Sky Conference picture. The road won’t be easy. Montana and Montana State were ranked 4th and 11th in the FCS Coaches Poll last week. Eastern Washington, who lost Vernon Adams to an injury, doesn’t seem to have missed a beat either. They definitely haven’t lost a conference game yet.

My point is this — Cal Poly is back in the conversation for a team that could legitimately win the Big Sky Conference this season. With a pair of wins over the next few weeks, the opportunity is there to prove that they belong.

It’s all any fan ever asks for.

Photos by Owen Main

To view on an iPhone or iPad, click here. 

Chase Minter put Cal Poly ahead in the first half and Sean Dhillon put them up for good as the Mustangs stole three points on the road at Sacramento State on Saturday afternoon.

Cal Poly played the game without its two starting central defenders. Brett Foreman and Nick Carroll. Already missing defensive player Kody Wakasa this season, interim head coach Phil Ruskin had to make some adjustments.

Cal Poly’s Kaba Alkebulan battles for an arial ball on Saturday afternoon in Sacramento. By Owen Main

Ruskin went to two of his most trusted guys — Sean Dhillon and captain Matt LaGrassa to fill on the back line. Dhillon had been playing a wing back position and LaGrassa has played all over the central midfield. While neither Dhillon nor LaGrassa are particularly big, LaGrassa is one of Cal Poly’s best players in the air. He proved it by getting to a number of crosses ahead of Hornet attackers throughout the match.

Sacramento State did have a few early chances, including one off the post that could have changed the complexion of the match. Instead, Cal Poly’s Minter came up with a goal before halftime that set the tone for the remainder of the match.

In the second half, Sac State tied the game on a 62nd minute Cody Hoster goal, but the Mustangs bounced back. In the 76th minute, a charging Sean Dhillon took a pass from Minter and put the Mustangs ahead. Cal Poly would get some help with an own goal in the 88th minute to secure the 3-1 road victory.

Sac State’s soccer facility — Kind of nice.

Sacramento State’s soccer facility was very spectator-friendly and, though small, pretty nice. The pitch, while a little muddy in some places, had grass that looked more like a golf fairway. The stands, while pretty small, are set under a row of overhanging trees, providing really nice afternoon shade for those fans watching the match.

The shade was a challenge for this photographer as it crept farther and farther onto the pitch, but for a facility I didn’t have much expectation for coming in, the Hornets have made themselves a nice little home away from their football stadium, which has an artificial surface.

Causeway Cup coming to Bonney Field

I was told by a local newspaper writer that Sac State is trying something new in their college soccer rivalry, playing their home “Causeway Cup” game at Bonney Field. Bonney Field is host to Sacramento Republic FC, the reigning USL Pro Champions. USL Pro is the third-tier league in the United States, and is a place MLS teams can assign players to get some game action.

I was told Republic FC sold-out all but one of their matches this season and if vying for an MLS team in the near future — with plans to further expand Bonney Field.

If Sac State and UC Davis could amp up their rivalry, the Big West North could continue to get more and more competitive. Let’s be honest, big rivalries and big college soccer crowds are nothing but fun.

Big West Division Openers

With the win on Saturday, Cal Poly remains in a first-place tie. In the other Big West North game, UC Davis scored a dramatic goal in the second overtime period to upend UCSB 1-0. The Mustangs and Aggies lead the division with 10 points each. UCSB and Sacramento State stay on 7 and 6 points respectively. UC Irvine beat Cal State Fullerton on Saturday and also have 10 points in conference.

Cal Poly hosts UC Davis on Wednesday night at Alex G. Spanos Stadium (7:00 pm) and plays in Goleta on Saturday at 7:30 in a match that will be televised on Fox Sports Prime Ticket.

Photos by Owen Main

To view on an iPhone or iPad, click here. 

Kori Garcia only managed 14 yards on Saturday, but the Mustangs racked-up over 500 yards as a team. By Owen Main

The Cal Poly football team is back at work this week, prepping for Sacramento State. Last week, they put 510 total yards on the board as they held-on for a 30-24 Big Sky Conference road victory.

At a lively practice on Tuesday, the Mustangs coaches and players seemed lively and energetic, despite the early 6:30 practice time. Head coach Tim Walsh took a few minutes with me to discuss last week’s game and what needs to be improved upon this week.

I also caught-up with quarterback, Chris Brown. Against Weber State last weekend, Brown became the first Mustang in Division I to throw for, rush for, and catch a touchdown in the same game. Since not all the box scores are available, it’s unclear whether anyone at Cal Poly ever achieved the triple-threat feat during Cal Poly’s Division II days.

Brown, who has been shouldering a heavy workload, talked about where his team needs to get better and also what the deal is with his mouthpiece.

Incidentally, the Mustangs men’s soccer team opens their Big West North stretch run on Saturday — also at Sac State. The soccer game starts at 3:00, while the football game starts at 6:00. It’s a road-trip we’ll try to double-up on as far as coverage goes.

I took a few photos at practice as well. Hope you enjoy.

Photos by Owen Main

To View Photos on an iPhone or iPad, click here.

Nick Dzubnar and company made the right plays at the right times on Saturday against Weber State. Photo by Owen Main

On Saturday, Cal Poly beat Weber State 30-24 on the road, improving their conference record to 2-1 and their overall record to 3-3. The Mustangs didn’t pile-up gaudy numbers, but they made some plays when it counted and overcame some questionable calls to earn the road victory.

The game featured a lot of really fun talking points, including the fact that Chris Brown rushed for, passed for, and caught a touchdown pass. Kori Garcia and Brown each caught a touchdown from the other, and Nick Dzubnar had another double-digit tackle game. Importantly, the Mustangs again won the turnover battle.

So, what did we learn from last week’s game?

There is no such thing as an easy road win

Let me be clear, no road win in the Big Sky is an easy win. Cal Poly beat the Wildcats 49-0 last season at Spanos, but Weber State had two weeks to prepare for the Mustangs and were ready for the triple option. Cal Poly had a really tough time getting wide. Kori Garcia — one of the usual pitch-men — was held to 14 yards and seven carries. The Mustangs netted 289 yards rushing, but no rusher for Cal Poly went over 100 yards in the game.

Weber State contained and tackled very well, making Chris Brown and Brandon Howe shoulder most of the offensive load. Brown and Howe did enough, carrying the ball a combined 50 times for 177 yards. Neither Brown nor Howe averaged even four yards per carry.

Pounding the football has been good

Howe has become a real staple of the Cal Poly offense, and rightfully so. The one thing I think I know about the triple option offense is that, to be effective, one must pound the ball with the fullback — whether or not it results in a big play. Establishing the fullback over the past few weeks is what led to Cal Poly being forced into using some trickeration on Saturday.

A reverse and halfback pass back to the quarterback were really key plays on Saturday, but none of it is possible unless Cal Poly establishes their fullback and option game. Howe rushed the ball 28 times against Southern Utah and 23 times this past Saturday. Without Saga Tuitele’s willingness to create a constant battle up the middle, the “trick plays” Cal Poly used would not have been as effective.

Since Weber State was selling out to stop the triple option, Cal Poly’s trick-play responses simple and effective.

Anybody still want to question the playcalling?

Speaking of Saga, the guy was taking a lot of heat after the first few games. Picture the situation though:

Cal Poly started the season with two of their best playmakers unavailable. Guys who were untested were thrown head-first into the mix, and for at least a few weeks, the play-calling seemed designed to match the experience level of the players. Kori Garcia, Howe, Lance Mudd, Joe Prothroe, and Kenny Mitchell were all brought along kind of slowly. So were all the players on the offensive line and receivers like Jordan Hines and Roland Jackson.

As the season has gone on, comfort levels have obviously gone up. Coaches have a better idea of their players’ strengths and weaknesses. Most importantly, I think, GUYS GET BETTER.

Here’s my mini-rant: One of the things I like best about college sports is that PLAYERS GET BETTER over the course of a year or from one year to the next. Chris Brown is a lot better now than he was at the beginning of the season. Brandon Howe is more comfortable. Offensive linemen understand schemes and have gelled. Defenses have been through battles together.

Coaches get better too. Especially at the FCS level, it’s important to think about a head coach or assistant’s performance as dynamic, not stagnant. Some criticized Saga after the first few games, but I think praise is due right now. He’s done a really nice job making adjustments, even when other teams are doing a great job stopping first, second, and third options. The Mustangs have now scored 30 or more points in the last four games (during which time they’ve gone 3-1). That’s 2/3 of their season until now. The Mustangs are averaging over 37 points per game over the past four games. Throughout the whole season, their average is up to 29.5.

Here are the three Brown touchdowns:

And here are all the highlights from the game in Ogden, Utah:

Special teams glitch

Cal Poly’s special teams had been very solid over the first five games, despite injuries to kickers. On Saturday, it was shaky at-best. Weber State ran a kickoff back for a touchdown and Cal Poly missed a PAT. The kickoff return for a touchdown could have been especially debilitating. It’s not too often that you win a game you didn’t completely dominate, on the road, where you gave up a kick return touchdown.

Halfway through the season, with a lot of really tough games ahead of them, I wonder if Cal Poly can withstand any more huge special teams blunders. Their margin of error isn’t large, so the answer is probably that they cannot.

This team is still getting better

OK, you saw my rant earlier, but it’s a point to make. Unlike a pro team that you might be able to write-off, most Cal Poly teams do tend to evolve over the course of the season. Guys execute better. Defenses get more dynamic and sharp. Coaches make better play calls. Freshmen evolve and become seasoned, and a junior quarterback continues to establish himself.

Contrary to the belief of some naysayers, this is a team whose season is not completely trashed after a shaky 1-3 start. Myriad outcomes for this season are right in front of them, especially in the form of the next three weeks. On Saturday, they go to Sacramento State to try to avenge a loss to the Hornets two years ago. After that, Montana and Montana State come to Spanos on back-to-back weekends.

If Cal Poly can win on the road in Sacramento and go into the Montana games with three straight W’s under their belt, fans in San Luis Obispo will take their chances against two of the best teams in FCS. If you are a Mustang fan, you have to be happy that this team has kept themselves relevant after a shaky start to the season. Starting on Saturday, we can find out if the Mustangs are a true contender or if they’ve been playing over their heads for the past few weeks, and the margin between the two is thin. They’ve fought hard to give themselves a real chance, but for Cal Poly, it’s now or never — continue to evolve or fade into mediocrity.

How do you think Saturday will go? How will the Mustags fare? Comment below.

Fans from the city and county of San Luis Obispo made a great showing over the weekend. by Owen Main

If you were there, you know that last weekend’s regional was a special weekend for both Cal Poly and San Luis Obispo baseball fans. Here are a few memorable moments and a some important notes from last weekend.

SLO hosted a regional

The fact that this county hosted a regional is a memorable moment unto itself.

San Luis Obispo hosting an NCAA baseball regional is about as good as it can get for an on-campus sporting event at Cal Poly or anywhere between Santa Barbara and San Jose. Six games in three days were all close. Over 15,000 fans came out to Baggett, making the regional a huge success for Cal Poly Athletics. The teams who were eliminated were all really good. Pepperdine turned out to be a little better than everyone else on this particular weekend.

Larry Lee

If you haven’t read this story from the Tribune on Larry Lee and his coaching legacy in San Luis Obispo, you need to. For him to have been the coach when the Mustangs were first able to host a Regional is pretty important. He clearly has a ton of respect from other coaches — every coach went out of their way to talk about the great job he’s done when describing the Regional. Lee knows what he’s doing and has a pretty clear plan. Seriously — read that story.

Matt Imhof delivers a pitch in his final game at Cal Poly. By Owen Main

Standing ovation for Imhof

On Friday night, Cal Poly ace, Matt Imhof, showed why he is going to be a high draft pick this season. Despite not having his best command, Imhof battled to give Cal Poly the win in their Friday night Regional opener against Sacramento State. Imhof gave up just one earned run in 7 2/3 innings in what will likely be his final game in a Cal poly uniform.

He tipped his cap as fans gave him a standing ovation on his way out of the game. Imhof was expected to be drafted within minutes of this post going live.

Jake Peevyhouse had an all-time meltdown on Friday afternoon in the first game of the Cal Poly regional. By Owen Main

Peevyhouse loses it

Arizona State didn’t have the most memorable of regionals. The Sun Devils lost a one-run game to Pepperdine on Friday afternoon and followed it up with a loss to Sac State on Saturday. The young team from Tempe has good talent, but couldn’t quite put it together over the course of two games in San Luis Obispo.

The whole weekend was frustrating — no moment moreso than a called third strike on Jake Peevyhouse, ASU’s number three hitter. Peevyhouse argued more demonstratively than any college player I’ve ever seen. He would have been tossed by over half the major league umpires out there, but on day one of the NCAA Tournament, the umpire was hesitant to run him.

Sac State avoids” two and queue”

Sacramento State made a good showing in their first NCAA Regional. After losing to Cal Poly on Friday night, Sac State battled against Arizona State to win a Saturday afternoon game before falling to the Mustangs again on Sunday.

This Sac State fan joined a big group cheering for the Hornets. By Owen Main

Sac State head coach, Reggie Christiansen seems to be recruiting the Sacramento area really hard — trying to keep homegrown talent in the state capitol. All I knew about Sac State coming into the weekend was that they had been in a brawl last season with UC Riverside. I came out of the weekend with lots of respect for Christiansen and the Hornets’ program.

Cal Poly makes it to Sunday night

Joe Davidson, who joined my pre-regional podcast last week, asked me a question on Friday — How disappointing would it be if Cal Poly diddn’t win their regional.

It took me a moment to think about. Coming into this season, the Mustangs had never won more than a single game at a regional (last year). They had never been ranked in the top-10 in the country, never been ranked number one, never hosted a regional, and never won a Big West Conference championship.

So, while it was disappointing that the Mustangs didn’t win the four-team regional, it was also a hugely successful season. Walls were broken down throughout the season and, as Lee pointed out after Sunday night’s game, at some point it becomes the norm. Fans in San Luis Obispo had their hearts ripped out by Pepperdine, but the Waves are a deserving team. By making it to Sunday night, Cal Poly showed they belong int his situation. In baseball, anything can happen. If not for two plays in each of Cal Poly’s losses to Pepperdine, the Mustangs might still be playing.

Disappointing? – Yes, but not soul-crushing. I won’t be surprised if attendance continues to go up at Baggett Stadium next year, no matter how good the team is. Cal Poly baseball made itself some new fans to be sure over the weekend. With continued improvement from Cal Poly athletics, San Luis Obispo is the kind of town that will latch onto winning programs.

Brown liner

Aaron Brown’s shoulders make it look as if he were chiseled in ancient Rome. In the championship game, Pepperdine’s cleanup hitter and eventual Regional MVP lined a foul ball down the right field line. The ball hit a Mustang News photographer square on the thigh. I mean square. Dead-on. Brown hit it so hard, the woman barely had anywhere to go as she stood on the warning track down the right field line. It’s a place I stood for many innings during the regional.

To her credit, she didn’t even rub the spot where she got hit. She held onto her camera and finished shooting the game. Mad props.

The weather

I think there were a few high clouds, but the weather was amazing. Hot during the day and cool at night is what SLO is known for. Nobody could have asked for anything better.

Nick Torres’ Sunday night homer was probably his last in Cal Poly green and gold. By Owen Main

Torres and Allen homer in their final game

Junior Nick Torres and senior Jimmy Allen have both also likely taken their last official Baggett Stadium at-bats. Torres will be drafted this year and barring some surprise, won’t be back next season. In the midst of Cal Poly’s five-run comeback on Sunday night, Allen and Torres each homered.

It was a fitting way for both to go out — not in the fact that they lost, but in the fact that they both stepped-up when it mattered most.

The bottom of the eighth

On a night that would end in extreme heartbreak, Cal Poly and its fans had about an inning and a half of pure, exalted jubilation. Between the seventh inning stretch and the end of the eighth inning, Mustang fans found their voice and the Mustangs, finally, found their bats.

First, Nick Torres’ seventh-inning homer, a towering shot into left-center field, brought the Mustangs to within 6-4. After an electric and fast top of the eighth, Cal Poly seemed to clutch hit after clutch hit before the score was tied on a fielders’ choice play that Pepperdine couldn’t turn into a double-play.

Chants of Cal! — Poly! and an atmosphere I’ve only experienced during the Major League Baseball playoffs were stifled in the top of the ninth when Pepperdine grabbed the lead again. For Cal Poly fans though, that inning and a half will leave a lasting memory of the best baseball team Cal Poly has ever fielded.

Congratulations to Pepperdine and good luck at TCU. By Owen Main

Steve Rodriguez and Pepperdine are easy to root for

I don’t know about any other Cal Poly fans, but I’m rooting for Steve Rodriguez and the Waves this week against TCU and the rest of the way. If they face Irvine in the College World Series, I’ll keep my Big West pride and root for the Anteaters, but Rodriguez’ Waves came to this regional ready to play. When teams are closely-matched, execution becomes huge. It seemed as though every Cal Poly miscue led to key runs for the opposition while Pepperdine’s errors didn’t cost them nearly as much. It’s the cruel reality of baseball.

Rodriguez made reference to the fact that the Waves have been on the other end of bad breaks in regionals before. Like Lee, Rodriguez seems to maintain the longview about his team and this tournament. He paid homage to the great season Cal Poly had and came off in press conferences as a coach who is pretty easy to root for.

Cal Poly eliminated Sacramento State from the San Luis Obispo Regional with a 5-4 victory on Sunday afternoon.

The Mustangs got a home run from Zack Zehner and 2 1/3 innings of relief from Reed Reilly for the save. The Mustangs play Pepperdine tonight at 6:00 at Baggett Stadium. Should they win, there will be a deciding game tomorrow (Monday) night at 6:00 pm.

Photos by Owen Main

[See image gallery at www.fansmanship.com]