IRVINE, Calif. (Interstat) — Cal Poly defeated UC Santa Barbara 4-2 on Friday evening in the Big West Baseball Championship, snapping a three-game losing streak to the Gauchos. The Mustangs outhit UCSB 12-6 and improved to 35-21, while the Gauchos fell to 38-17.

Cal Poly built an early lead in the top of the second inning when Tyler Vachini’s sacrifice bunt brought home a run. The Mustangs added insurance in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by McLaurin that scored Jake Downing, then extended the lead in the seventh on Downing’s RBI single. Nate Castellon’s run-scoring single in the eighth made it 4-2.

UCSB’s William Vasseur walked with the bases loaded in the first inning to cut the deficit to 4-1, and a fourth-inning single by Mendez brought home another run.

Carson Turnquist earned the win on the mound for Cal Poly, while Calvin Proskey took the loss for UC Santa Barbara. The victory avenged the Mustangs’ three-game sweep at home by the Gauchos in early April.