SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif.—UC San Diego baseball earned its fourth Big West series of the season, defeating Cal Poly, 8-6, on Saturday afternoon at Baggett Stadium. With the win, the Tritons (24-16, 13-7 Big West) moved to 6-3 in the all-time series with the Mustangs (14-26, 8-12 Big West) and 2-0 on the weekend.
 
Doyle Kane led the Tritons offensively, finishing 3-for-4 with a double, three RBI and a run scored. Brandon Larson knocked a three-run home run, Patrick Hackworth went 2-for-2 with two runs scored and Crew Robinson went 2-for-4 with a home run as well.
 
Ryan Rissas (2-1) earned the victory, going 2.2 innings and allowing one run on two hits with one walk and one strikeout. Izaak Martinez recorded his third save of the season and second of the series, completing the final out of the ninth.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego was first to score, plating a run on an RBI single from Kane to lead 1-0. The Mustangs tied the game in the bottom of the inning on a bases-loaded fielder's choice and took the lead in the bottom of the second with a sac-fly to jump in front 2-1.
 
The Tritons were quick to answer, loading the bases with no outs in the top of the third. Halbach grounded into a double play, but a run scored to tie the game 2-2. Kane gave the Tritons the lead once again, 3-2, scoring Michael Fuhrman from second with an RBI double.
 
Cal Poly tied the game again in the bottom of the third with an RBI single to make it 3-all. 
 
In the fourth, Robinson knocked a leadoff homer to put the Tritons in front 4-3. The Mustangs responded once again with a run in the bottom of the inning, tying the game for a fourth time, 4-4.
 
Larson gave UC San Diego some breathing room with a three-run home run in the top of the fifth, and the Tritons kept Cal Poly off the board for the first time in the bottom of the inning to lead, 7-4. Kane brought in his third RBI of the day an inning later to extend the lead, 8-4.
 
Cal Poly got a run back in the bottom of the sixth, 8-5, and added one more in the ninth with two outs but the Tritons held off the comeback to take game two, 8-6.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Rissas earned the win for the Tritons who used six pitchers in the contest.
• Martinez recorded his second save in as many days and third of the season.
• Gonzalez, Hackworth, Kane and Robinson all turned in multi-hit performances.
• Kane, Larson and Robinson were credited with runs batted in.
  • Kane and Larson have combined to drive in 11 of the Tritons' 13 runs in the series.
• The Tritons moved 6-3 in the all-time series with Cal Poly.

UP NEXT
The Tritons will wrap up the series with Cal Poly on Sunday at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available via UCSDTritons.com.
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of The Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.