LA JOLLA, Calif. (Interstat) — Griffin Naess delivered a dominant six-inning start and Dylan Kordic launched a decisive three-run homer as the Cal Poly Mustangs opened a Big West Conference series with an 11-3 victory over the UC San Diego Tritons on Friday night at UCSD Triton Baseball Field.

The Mustangs, who entered the contest with a 57.7% win probability according to Interstat’s ELO system, defied a pregame simulation that had projected a 6-4 Tritons win. Cal Poly improved to 20-16 overall and 4-6 in conference play, while UC San Diego fell to 15-18 and 3-7.

The most critical sequence of the game came in the top of the eighth inning, breaking open what had been a 5-2 contest. With one out and runners on first and third, Cal Poly’s Braxton Thomas singled home an unearned run. That brought Kordic to the plate with two runners on, and the right fielder crushed a three-run home run to deep center field off reliever Quincey Brown, extending the Mustangs’ lead to 9-2 and effectively sealing the outcome.

Naess, named the top star for Cal Poly, was the foundation of the win. The right-hander allowed just two earned runs over six strong innings, scattering five hits while striking out six and walking one. His performance provided stability after the Mustangs’ bullpen had been taxed in recent games. Naess improved upon his previous outing, a brief relief appearance against Oregon State on April 10 where he allowed one run in two innings.

Cal Poly’s offense capitalized on four UC San Diego errors, scoring four unearned runs. The Mustangs broke a 1-1 tie with a three-run fourth inning, fueled by a two-run fielding error by Tritons second baseman Thomas Maher and a run-scoring walk by Ryan Tayman. Jake Downing contributed three hits and two RBIs for the Mustangs, who finished with 11 hits.

UC San Diego’s runs came via solo home runs from Gabe Camacho in the first inning and Michael Crossland in the third, both off Naess. The Tritons managed only five hits total and scored their final run in the ninth on a two-out throwing error by Cal Poly shortstop Nate Castellon.

Following Naess, the Mustangs’ bullpen was flawless. Brady Estes worked two perfect innings with one strikeout, and Troy Cooper struck out two in a scoreless ninth to close out the win.

For the Tritons, starter Steele Murdock took the loss, allowing three earned runs on five hits over 4 1/3 innings. Reliever Ethan Russell provided a bright spot with 1 1/3 perfect innings of relief, striking out two.

The teams continue the three-game series on Saturday and Sunday in La Jolla.