Seattle University had a chance to pull off a comeback victory over nationally-ranked Cal Poly, but the Mustangs made some key defensive plays in the late innings to hold off the Redhawks, 2-1, Sunday in collegiate baseball action at Meridian Park.
Seattle U was down 2-0 with its first 13 batters retired by Cal Poly starter Casey Bloomquist before Cullen Hendrickson (Auburn, Wash.) hit a one-out double off the right field wall in the fifth inning, and Brock Carpenter (Milton, Wash.) followed with a single to center field to put runners on the corners. However, Bloomquist earned a strikeout and a flyout to pitch out of the jam without any runners scoring.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Griffin Andreychuk (Nanaimo, B.C.) led off with a single to center field and stole second base. He reached third on a ground out, and Brian Olson (Black Diamond, Wash.) drew a walk to once again put runners on the corners, but Bloomquist picked up another strikeout to end the Redhawk threat.
Hendrickson and Carpenter led off the seventh inning with back-to-back singles, but Grant Newton’s (Bend, Ore.) sacrifice bunt attempt was not successful, as he bunted into a double play, and Sam Finfer (Bellevue, Wash.) followed with a lineout to end the inning with the Redhawks still scoreless.
Bloomquist was seemingly cruising to a complete game shutout, as he retired the first two batters in the ninth inning. Carpenter reached base on a Mustang throwing error, and pinch hitter Cash McGuire (Kent, Wash.) drove him in with a double to left field, cutting the Cal Poly lead in half. After Taylor Chris came on in relief, Finfer legged out an infield single, but pinch runner Austen Brand (Tacoma, Wash.) was cut down trying to score from second base, ending Seattle U’s comeback attempt.
“I am really proud of how our guys battled today. Connor and Grant were very competitive on the mound, and we put ourselves in a position to tie or win the game late. We need to do the little things better to give ourselves opportunities to score, so that will be our focus going into the Portland series,” Seattle U head coach Donny Harrel said.
Connor Moore (West Richland, Wash.) started the game for the Redhawks and gave up six hits and two runs in seven innings, one on doubles by Tim Wise and Nick Torres in the first inning, and the other on a solo home run by Torres in the third inning. Grant Gunning (Snohomish, Wash.) pitched the final two innings for Seattle U, allowing just two hits while striking out two batters.
Bloomquist earned his third win of the season, striking out seven hitters in 8 2/3 innings of work while giving up seven hits and one unearned run. Chris picked up his first save of the season despite giving up a hit to the only batter he faced.
Seattle University (6-10) is scheduled to host Portland at Bannerwood Park in Bellevue Tuesday and Wednesday, March 11 and 12, with Tuesday’s game scheduled to start at 4 p.m. and Wednesday’s contest set to begin at 2:30 p.m. Live stats for both games will be available on GoSeattleU.com.