Reyes One Out Short of Complete Game in Series Opening Win
LOS ANGELES – Caleb Reyes came within one out of a complete game on Friday night, throwing 8.2 innings and picking up his fifth win of the season. With the series-opening victory over Cal State LA, Cal Poly Pomona improves to 22-16 on the season and 18-11 in conference play, taking sole possession of third place in the CCAA standings.
Reyes, an Encino native, was dominant for the Green & Gold in his eighth start of the season. He allowed just three hits and two earned runs in his first eight innings of work, while striking out five batters. With two outs in the ninth inning of a tight game and already 102 pitches deep, Reyes surrendered a double, forcing his exit from the game just one out shy of his second career nine inning complete game.
The game remained scoreless throughout the first four innings, before the Broncos got on the board in the top of the fifth on a Jack Sanders RBI single and an Anthony Gibbons sacrifice fly, making the score 2-0. Beau Betten added one more in the sixth with an RBI single up the middle, extending the lead to 3-0. CSULA would respond with a solo home run in the bottom of the inning, cutting the deficit to two.
In the eighth, Nick Lugo reached on a costly error by the Golden Eagle shortstop, advancing to second on the play. Brent Cota advanced Lugo 90 feet with his third sac bunt of the season, which allowed Johnny Pappas to push across the Broncos' fourth run of the game with a sacrifice fly.
Having scored one run in the bottom of the eighth to make the score 4-2, the Golden Eagles made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth. After hitting a double with two outs to knock Reyes out of the game, CSULA immediately hit another double to left center off reliever Drew Atherton to narrow the lead to 4-3 – while also putting the tying run in scoring position. With a full count, Atherton froze the batter for a called strike three, slamming the door shut and securing the win - as well as Atherton's first career save.
Up Next
The Broncos and Golden Eagles will play a doubleheader tomorrow, April 20th, with first pitch set for 1:00 PM.
Bronco Bits
- CPP is now 122-112 (.521) all-time against Cal State LA, including 7-3 in their past 10 games. The Broncos' largest margin of victory is 13 runs, which, shockingly, came in an extra inning game in 2022 where CPP scored 13 runs in the top of the 10th inning to win 22-9.
- Randy Betten is now 406-258 (.611) overall as head coach of the Broncos. He is 36 CCAA wins away from passing John Scolinos for most conference games won in CPP history. He is now 289-188 (.606) in CCAA games, while Scolinos was 324-256-3 (.558) in conference competition.
- Johnny Pappas now has 96 career walks, currently ranking 7th in CPP history. With one more, he will tie Chris Clark (1978-80) for 6th most in program history at 97. Pappas' current coach, Jenzen Torres, is tied with Tom Weeks for 4th most at 100.
- The Broncos are now 11-8 both at home and on the road this season.
- Drew Atherton recorded his first career save on Friday night, after throwing 124.0 innings across 41 appearances in his CPP career. The La Crescenta native was primarily a starter in his first few seasons, making 19 starts from 2019-2022.
Latest All Athletics News
- Men’s Track and Field Completes Three-Peat at CCAA ChampionshipsFor the third consecutive season, the Cal Poly Pomona men's track and field team has claimed the CCAA title. They finished with 250 points, narrowly beating Chico State at 220 and dominating the remainder of the conference – third place being Cal State Los Angeles at 88 points.
- Women’s Track and Field Three-Peats in TurlockFor the third consecutive season, the Cal Poly Pomona women's track and field team has won the CCAA Track and Field Championships. This year, they needed just 159.5 points to claim the title, defeating Chico State (130.5) and Cal State San Bernardino (127).
- Broncos Stunned by Yotes in Regular Season Finale, Look Ahead to CCAA TournamentThe Cal Poly Pomona baseball team fell to Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday afternoon in heartbreaking fashion, as the Yotes hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth to win the final game of the regular season. Though the game had no effect on the CCAA standings, the series loss likely has regional ranking implications for CPP.
- Christensen Wins Shot Put, Broncos Climb to No. 2 at CCAA ChampionshipsThe Cal Poly Pomona women's track and field team had a strong showing in Day 2 of the CCAA Championships on Friday, climbing from sixth place to second in the team leader board.
- Hill Breaks School Record as Men Sweep Long Jump at CCAA ChampionshipsDarius Hill broke the Cal Poly Pomona school record in the long jump on Friday, jumping a distance of 7.64 meters to pass teammate Deandre Smith's mark last season of 7.60 meters. This mark was also good for first place in the event, making Hill the CCAA Champion. Smith and Justin Cardoza also had podium finishes in the long jump, leading to a complete sweep of the event for the Green & Gold.
- Broncos Explode for 21 Runs in San BernardinoThe Broncos split Friday's doubleheader against Cal State San Bernardino, moving to 29-19 on the season and 25-14 in CCAA play. With the two losses in the series, the Broncos are no longer able to pass Cal State San Marcos in the standings, taking them out of contention for the CCAA regular season title.
