SAN MARCOS, Calif. – Despite a strong outing from starting pitcher Anthony Cosme, Cal Poly Pomona lost 3-1 to Cal State San Marcos in the series opener on Friday afternoon at CSUSM Baseball Field. The Broncos' road challenges continue, as they fall to 1-11 in away games this season and 8-22 overall, while also falling to 5-16 in conference play.
 
CPP was held scoreless through the first five innings, struggling to get runners in scoring position against Cougars' starter Spencer Anderson. Cal State San Marcos struck first in the second inning on a sacrifice fly, giving the Cougars a 1-0 lead.
 
Cosme, who threw 7.1 strong innings, kept the Broncos within striking distance. The right-hander allowed just five hits and three runs while striking out three batters on 99 pitches. The freshman out of Inglewood dominated the middle innings, keeping the Cougars off the board for five straight after allowing the second-inning run.
 
In the sixth, Cal Poly Pomona finally broke through. Marco Malerba led off the inning with a single, later advancing to third on a base hit by Johnny Pappas. With no one out, Anthony Gibbons lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, bringing Malerba home to even the score at 1-1.
 
However, the Broncos' offense stalled for the remainder of the contest, tallying just one more hit in the final three innings. San Marcos reclaimed the lead in the eighth inning on a clutch one-out double down the left-field line, scoring the runner from first. Moments later, CSUSM drove in an insurance run with an RBI single to right field, extending the Cougars' late lead to 3-1.
 
Cal Poly Pomona outhit San Marcos seven to six, but were unable to string together timely hitting against a Cougars' bullpen that closed out the game effectively. Malerba led the Broncos going 2-for-4 at the plate, while Pappas, Gibbons, Beau Betten, Dominic Porter, and Sebastian Arguelles each recorded one hit.
 
Cosme (1-5) was handed the tough-luck loss despite his solid performance on the mound. Colt Tucker relieved him in the eighth inning and retired two of the three batters he faced.
 
The Broncos' tough luck is seemingly relentless, as they suffered their 13^th loss of the season by two or less runs. Furthermore, 17 of their 22 losses have been by three runs or less, meaning they have been within striking distance in nearly every single loss this season, but have yet to get the big hit, or big stop on the mound, to help them gain momentum in the win column.
 
 
Up Next
The Broncos will look to bounce back with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 29^th, in San Marcos at 12:00 PM.
 
 
Bronco Bits

• The Broncos are now 24-7 all-time against Cal State San Marcos, including 5-5 in their past 10 games. They average 8.42 runs scored per game against the Cougars.
• Randy Betten is now 424-288 (.596) as head coach of the Broncos and 301-208 (.591) in CCAA play.
• Betten remains 23 CCAA wins away from tying John Scolinos (324) for the most in program history.
• This is the first time the Broncos have lost seven straight games since 2013.
• The Broncos have the second-toughest strength of schedule in all of NCAA Division II, with their opponents going 405-218 (.650) entering the weekend.
• Record Watch – Johnny Pappas remains just five runs away from tying the all-time program record. He currently has 163 while Tom Weeks (1984-87) holds the program record at 168.