Long Beach State University Athletics
Long Beach State University
17-33, 11-17
Cal Poly
31-21, 20-8
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Beach State | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 0 |
| Cal Poly | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | X | 11 | 7 | 0 |
Dirtbags Drop Series Opener At Cal Poly
5/14/2026 10:21:00 PM | Baseball
Long Beach State out-hit Cal Poly, but a six-run inning proved decisive for the Mustangs.
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Long Beach State struck first in the opening inning as Kaiden Smaka tripled to right field and later scored on a Smith Chandler single through the middle to give the Dirtbags an early 1-0 lead.
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Cal Poly answered immediately in the bottom half after Alejandro Garza singled and advanced into scoring position before Casey Murray Jr. tied the game with an RBI fielder's choice.
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The Mustangs took the lead in the second inning. Cam Hoiland opened the frame with a walk before Dante Vachini singled through the right side. Nate Castellon followed with an RBI single and Garza added an RBI double to extend the lead to 3-1. Ryan Tayman later drove in another run with a sacrifice fly to push the advantage to 4-1.
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After the second inning, Long Beach State pitching settled in and kept Cal Poly off the bases entirely through the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. Caleb Anderson helped stabilize the game out of the bullpen as the Dirtbags worked to climb back into contention.
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Long Beach State cut into the deficit in the sixth inning behind the long ball. Dylan Lina launched his 11th home run of the season to left field before Conner Stewart followed later in the inning with his first homer of the year, trimming the Cal Poly lead to 4-3.
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With momentum beginning to shift toward the Dirtbags, Cal Poly broke the game open in the seventh inning.
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Dylan Kordic and Tayman each drew walks before Murray Jr. loaded the bases with an infield single. Jake Downing brought home a run on a groundout before Gavin Spiridonoff added an RBI fielder's choice. Hoiland followed with a sacrifice bunt RBI and Vachini delivered an RBI double down the left field line. Castellon later drove in another run on a groundout while a wild pitch capped the six-run inning and stretched the Mustang lead to 10-3.
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Cal Poly added one more insurance run in the eighth when Tayman connected on a solo home run to left field, for the 11-3 lead.
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Despite the loss, the Dirtbags finished with 10 hits compared to seven for the Mustangs. Chandler and Lina each recorded two hits while Stewart added a two-hit performance with his first home run of the season. Smaka tripled and scored in the first inning while Ty Borgogno and Damon Valdez also contributed hits. Justin Roulston reached base twice in the loss.
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The Dirtbags will continue the series Friday with first pitch being at 6:05pm and streamed on ESPN+.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Naess, Griffin (6-4)
L: Kahalekai, Ka’imi (0-5)
Batting:
2B: Stewart, Conner 1
3B: Smaka, Kaiden 1
HR: Lina, Dylan 1 ; Stewart, Conner 1
RBI: Lina, Dylan 1 ; Chandler, Smith 1 ; Stewart, Conner 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Lina, Dylan 1 ; Smaka, Kaiden 1 ; Stewart, Conner 1
CS: Chandler, Smith 1
PO: Chandler, Smith 1
Batting:
2B: Garza, Alejandro 1 ; Vachini, Dante 1
HR: Tayman, Ryan 1
RBI: Murray Jr., Casey 1 ; Downing, Jake 1 ; Garza, Alejandro 1 ; Vachini, Dante 1 ; Castellon, Nate 2 ; Spiridonoff, Gavin 1 ; Hoiland, Cam 1 ; Tayman, Ryan 2
SH: Hoiland, Cam 1
SF: Tayman, Ryan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Murray Jr., Casey 1 ; Kordic, Dylan 1 ; Garza, Alejandro 1 ; Vachini, Dante 2 ; Castellon, Nate 1 ; Spiridonoff, Gavin 1 ; Hoiland, Cam 2 ; Tayman, Ryan 2
SB: Garza, Alejandro 1
HBP: Garza, Alejandro 1 ; Hoiland, Cam 1
