Sunday’s action saw Cal Poly get a pivotal series-clinching win in the rubber game over UCLA 9-1. The victory was huge for the Mustangs, who dropped the first game on Friday only to show a lot of character and bounce back with two straight wins on the road to take the series. Offensively Nick Torres and Brian Mundell continued to be the story as the duo combined for five hits and five RBI on the day. Mundell homered in all three games of the series and raised his average to a red-hot .455 on the season.
Holy Cross hadn’t played a game until Friday but they still managed to split a four game series with Mississippi State. After dropping the first two games of the series, the Crusaders fought back with 7-6 and 6-1 wins to end the weekend riding a wave of momentum. Nick Lovullo consistently impressed in the field and at the plate and Anthony Critelli followed with hits in big spots all series long. Donny Murray came up with the pitching performance of the weekend on Sunday, going seven strong innings only surrendering one run. The split sends Mississippi State to 4-4 overall, a team with a lot of questions that still remain unanswered as several position battles remain up for grabs in the early part of the season.
In a rematch of College World Series opponents from 2013, Oregon State defeated Indiana 8-1 in the PAC 12/Big 10 Challenge in Surprise, AZ. After back-to-back losses to Nebraska and Michigan State, the Beavers had a six-run 7th inning to blow the game wide open. Scott Schultz tossed a complete game, allowing just six hits and one run to a powerful Indiana lineup led by Kyle Schwarber. The Hoosiers are off to a less than desired 2014 as they fall to 2-5 before taking on another former College World Series foe in Louisville next weekend.
Tennessee finished off a sweep of UNLV on Sunday to go 7-0 for just the fourth time in program history. Andrew Lee went a strong 6 2/3 innings on the mound and gave up two runs while striking out three to run his ERA to 2.31 in two starts this season. The Vols appear to be significantly improved under third-year coach Dave Serrano, and will look to tie the best start in school history (1993, 2003) against Quinnipiac next weekend.
The South Carolina shutout streak is still intact after Sunday’s series finale against Eastern Kentucky. The streak has reached a remarkable 51 straight innings dating all the way back to their second game of the season against Bucknell after the Bison put up a 2 spot in the third inning. Over the last five games alone, the Gamecocks have outscored their opponents 28-0 and have run their overall record to 7-0. They will face rivals Clemson for three games next weekend.
