The CSU Bakersfield baseball team rallied from a four-run deficit against Cal Poly and beat the Mustangs 5-4 with a ninth inning walk-off single from David Metzgar at Hardt Field on April 28.
Senior Jordie Hein led off the bottom of the ninth inning with an infield single. A balk then by Cal Poly freshman pitcher Erich Uelman moved Hein to second base, and a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Joey Sanchez moved Hein to third base with one out.
That set the stage for CSUB sophomore Metzgar’s game-winning hit.
With the count 2-0, Metzgar ripped the ball past the Mustangs’ junior shortstop Peter Van Gansen to score Hein and give the Roadrunners the non-conference win.
“If you have a situation like that, what better guy to have in that situation,” said CSUB coach Bill Kernen, who was ejected in the seventh inning, to gorunners.com. “I was very surprised that they didn’t walk the next two to load the bases. They know their pitcher better than I do, so they must have thought the matchup worked for them.”
Photo by AJ Alvarado/The Runner
CSUB (26-16-1, 12-5-1 Western Athletic Conference) has now won 14 of its last 16 games.
The Roadrunners fell behind 4-0 early in the game as the Mustangs scored their four runs in the first two innings, but in the sixth inning they were able to cut the deficit to 4-2.
In the seventh inning, CSUB had appeared to cut the lead with sophomore Hein scoring on a single from Metzgar, but the umpire ruled that Hein did not touch home plate. Kernen did not agree with the call, and was ejected arguing the call.
“Jordie touched home plate, [and he said] he didn’t even touch home plate,” Kernen said about the play. “He scored, when I went out there, the umpire said that’s dirt sliding around the base. I did not agree with that and said somethings that I shouldn’t have said.”
However, CSUB was able to recover from that as sophomores Sanchez and Metzgar scored on two back-to-back wild pitches from Cal Poly’s freshman relief pitcher Andrew Bernstein to tie the game. Bernstein recovered and struck out sophomore Max Carter and senior Soloman Williams.
Hein led the team in hits as he went three for five and scored one run. Metzgar added with two for four hitting, two RBIs and scored twice.
Sophomore pitcher Garrett Nimmo, who came in relief of sophomore starting pitcher Alec Daily, earned the win as he pitched seven innings, struck out nine batters and only gave up three hits. Nimmo kept CSUB in the game before it was able to rally back. He improved to 2-2 on the season.
Uelman (0-1) received the loss for the Mustangs.
CSUB is scheduled to host WAC opponent Northern Colorado. The three-game weekend series will begin on May 1 at 6 p.m.
