STOCKTON, Calif. - An eighth inning home run from the Mustangs' Mitch Haniger provided the deciding margin in Cal Poly's 3-2 win over Pacific Saturday night at Klein Family Field. Junior RF Allen Riley (Fresno, Calif.) went two-for-four with an RBI for the Tigers.

The Tigers out-hit Cal Poly, 8-5, in the ballgame, but the Mustangs evened the series at one game apiece behind seven innings from RHP Steven Fischback, who allowed one run on six hits while striking out seven to improve to 7-2.

Pacific senior RHP Marcus Pointer (Pacifica, Calif.) went seven innings allowing three earned runs on four hits allowed while striking out five to fall to 4-7.

Cal Poly tallied a run in the first without a hit, as CF Bobby Crocker was hit by pitch, advanced to second on a walk, was sacrificed to third, and came in to score on an RBI groundout from DH D.J. Gentile.

The Tigers answered with a run in the second, as senior 1B Brian Martin (Livermore, Calif.) walked, and Riley followed with a double to the wall in center field for his team-leading 34th RBI of the season.

The game stayed knotted at 1-1 until the seventh, when Crocker walked, was sacrificed to second and took third on a wild pitch. SS Mike Miller chopped a hard ground ball, which junior SS Josh Simms (La Mesa, Calif.) elevated for and nabbed out of the air. His throw home was on target, but Crocker slid under the tag to put Cal Poly up 2-1 on the fielder's choice.

In the eighth, Haniger opened the inning with a home run to left on a 3-2 pitch from Pointer to give Cal Poly a 3-1 advantage. Junior RHP Jared Wagner (Danville, Calif.) relieved Pointer entered and escaped from a bases loaded jam, striking out 2B Denver Chavez and getting a fly out from Miller to end the inning and avoid further damage.

Pacific clawed back in the eighth off LHP Frankie Reed, as sophomore 2B Tyger Pederson (Palo Alto, Calif.) singled up the middle. Sophomore 3B Dustin Torchio (Santa Cruz, Calif.) followed with a single to left center. After a fielder's choice set up first and third, Martin plated Pederson with a chopper to second base as Cal Poly could only get the force at second base. But Reed coaxed a fly out to end the inning

In the ninth, Cal Poly closer RHP Jeff Johnson got a pop out and a strikeout, but PH John Haberman (Stockton, Calif.) reached on a strikeout wild pitch, and Johnson posted a strike out to end the ballgame and earn his fifth save of the season.

Torchio finished the night two-for-four, while Martin was one-for-three with an RBI.

The Tigers (16-33 overall, 8-12 Big West) fall out of a four-way tie for fourth in the conference, while Cal Poly improves to 25-23 overall, 14-9 in the Big West. The Tigers and Mustangs will complete their series on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Prior to the game, Pacific will honor its six seniors: Martin, Pointer, OF Matt Carvutto (Poway, Calif.), C Aaron Hassel(Tarzana, Calif.), RHP Jake Hummel (Peoria, Ariz.) and RHP Robbie Richardson (Lodi, Calif.).