SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (Interstat) — Cal Poly Mustangs starter Griffin Naess scattered nine hits over six innings and the Mustangs erupted for seven runs in the seventh inning to defeat the Long Beach State Dirtbags 11-3 on Thursday night at Robin Baggett Stadium in a Big West Conference matchup.

The Mustangs improved to 31-21 overall, while the Dirtbags dropped to 17-33.

Long Beach State jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Leadoff batter Smaka tripled to right field and scored on a single up the middle by Chandler. Enright followed with a single through the right side, but Chandler was caught stealing third base in a pickoff. Lina and Montgomery struck out swinging to end the inning.

Cal Poly answered in the bottom of the first with one run. Garza singled up the middle, moved to second on a walk to Kordic and to third on a walk to Tayman. Casey Murray Jr. reached on a fielder’s choice, scoring Garza and cutting the deficit to 3-1. The Mustangs stranded two runners.

In the bottom of the second, Cal Poly took a 4-3 lead. Hoiland walked and scored on a single by Castellon. Vachini, who had singled, scored on a double by Garza. Castellon scored on a sacrifice fly by Tayman. Garza moved to third on the play but was left there.

The Dirtbags tied the game in the sixth inning with two solo home runs. Lina led off with a homer to left field, and after two strikeouts, Stewart hit a solo shot to left, making it 4-3 Cal Poly.

The game turned decisively in the bottom of the seventh. Cal Poly sent 11 batters to the plate and scored seven runs on four hits, two walks, a hit batter and a sacrifice bunt. Kordic walked and Tayman walked. Murray Jr. singled to load the bases. Downing grounded out to second, scoring Kordic to make it 5-3. Spiridonoff reached on a fielder’s choice, scoring Tayman for a 6-3 lead. Hoiland sacrifice bunted home Murray Jr. for a 7-3 edge. Vachini doubled down the left-field line, scoring Spiridonoff and sending Hoiland to third. Castellon grounded out to short, scoring Hoiland and moving Vachini to third. Garza was hit by a pitch and stole second. Kordic walked on a wild pitch, and Vachini scored on the wild pitch. Garza was thrown out at home trying to score on the same play, ending the inning with Cal Poly ahead 10-3.

In the eighth, Tayman homered to left field to extend the lead to 11-3.

Long Beach State’s early three-run first inning was its only scoring burst. The Dirtbags finished with 10 hits, including two each from Chandler, Lina, Stewart and Valdez. Stewart went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double and a run batted in. Lina was 2-for-4 with a homer and an RBI. Caleb Anderson took the loss, allowing six earned runs on no hits in four innings, with four strikeouts and five walks.

Naess earned the victory, working six innings, allowing three earned runs on nine hits while striking out eight. Brady Estes threw two scoreless innings of relief, striking out three without allowing a hit. Arlo Pendleton closed with a scoreless ninth, allowing one hit. Tayman finished 1-for-2 with a home run and two RBIs. Garza went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a double.

The pivotal seventh inning erased a 4-3 deficit and turned a competitive game into a rout. Long Beach State’s bullpen struggled after starter Kahalekai was replaced in the third inning. Anderson, who had been effective in his first stint, unraveled in the seventh as the Mustangs capitalized on walks and timely hitting. Cal Poly’s five-run outburst with two outs in the seventh highlighted the inning’s importance.

The Dirtbags have now lost four consecutive games and seven of their last eight. They will face the Mustangs again Friday and Saturday in the final series of the regular season. Cal Poly has won four of its last five.

Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of Cal Poly 7, Long Beach State 4. Interstat’s ELO system gave the Mustangs a 72.00 percent probability to win the game.