Both starting pitchers showed strong stuff early in Friday’s game, but nationally-ranked Cal Poly was able to break through midway through the contest, while Seattle University struggled offensively, leading to a 4-0 victory for the Mustangs over the Redhawks in a collegiate baseball game at Meridian Park.
About a dozen scouts were on hand to see Cal Poly starting pitcher Matt Imhof, and he delivered with eight innings of shutout baseball, allowing just four hits and three walks while striking out 15 batters. Imhof threw 126 pitches, 77 of them for strikes, as he did not allow a Redhawk runner to advance past second base.
Cal Poly (10-2) needed some time to figure out Seattle U starter Mac Acker (Redmond, Wash.), as he retired 11 consecutive Mustang batters through the fifth inning. Cal Poly loaded the bases in the top of the fifth inning, but Acker picked up his sixth strikeout of the game to keep the Mustangs off the board.
In the sixth inning, Cal Poly finally broke through, as Nick Torres led off with a double and scored on a single by Brian Mundell. With runners on first and third and one out, Mark Mathias laid down a perfect suicide squeeze bunt, driving in Mundell with the Mustangs’ second run of the game.
The Mustangs extended their lead in the seventh inning, starting with a leadoff double by Tim Wise and a bunt single from Jordan Ellis that ended Acker’s outing. Wise would score on a Redhawk error, and another fielding mistake by Seattle U allowed Mundell to reach base, loading the bases with nobody out. Grant Gunning (Snohomish, Wash.) retired the next two batters, but Mathias drew a walk that forced in Ellis with an unearned run.
Gunning put together a solid relief outing, allowing just two walks in three innings of work while striking out three batters. However, the Redhawk offense was held to four hits while Cal Poly earned eight hits during the night. The margin of victory could have been wider, but the Mustangs stranded 12 men on base.
Seattle University (5-9) will face Cal Poly in a doubleheader Saturday, March 8, starting at 11 a.m. at Edmonds Community College in Lynnwood, Wash. Links to live stats and live audio are available on the baseball schedule page of GoSeattleU.com.