Sanders Slugs Two Home Runs in Saturday Split
LOS ANGELES – The Cal Poly Pomona baseball team split their doubleheader on Saturday with Cal State LA, taking a 2-1 advantage in the series. They now own a 23-17 overall record this season, while their 19-12 CCAA record ranks third in the conference standings. Both Cal State San Marcos and Cal State Monterey Bay clinched a spot in the CCAA Tournament on Saturday afternoon, each with 23 conference wins on the season. CPP is the next closest with 19, followed by San Francisco State at 17 and Chico State with 16.
Game 1: CPP 4, CSULA 5
Rhys Stevens delivered yet another strong start on the mound in the first game on Saturday, allowing just one earned run in 5.0 innings. Over his past five starts, Stevens has thrown 32.0 innings while surrendering just five earned runs, good for a 1.40 ERA. In that same span, he has struck out 25 batters to just 23 hits allowed. On Saturday, the redshirt junior struck out six batters, tying his second-most of the season.
The Broncos struck first in the game, with Johnny Pappas scoring in the top of the first inning on an Anthony Gibbons RBI groundout. CPP would add on one more in the third with a sacrifice fly by Marco Malerba, followed by another run in the fifth inning on a Jack Sanders solo home run to left field.
Cal State LA fought back in the bottom of the fifth, scoring two runs on two hits and a throwing error by the Bronco defense to make the score 3-2. Edrian Rangel relieved Stevens in the sixth and immediately retired the side. Then in the bottom of the seventh with two men on and one out, CSULA smacked a pivotal three-run home run to right center field, shifting the momentum and giving them a late 5-4 lead. The Broncos mustered just one hit and zero runs in the final two innings, allowing CSULA to even the series.
Game 2: CPP 6, CSULA 1 (7 innings)
A six-run fourth inning proved to be the difference maker for the Broncos in the nightcap, as all of CPP's offensive production came with two outs in the inning. With the bases loaded and two retired, a passed ball by the CSULA defense allowed CPP to break the scoreless tie. Brent Cota would immediately follow that mistake with a lucky single off the first base bag, pushing across two more runs to quickly increase the lead to 3-0.
Jack Sanders then broke the game open with his second home run of the day, a three-run bomb over the indoor hitting facility in left center field, giving the Green & Gold their sixth run of the inning. That home run was Sanders' seventh of the year, tying Gibbons for the most on the team, while also extending his hitting streak to a team-best 10 consecutive games.
For the third time in his past four starts, Noel Soto spun a seven-inning complete. The senior allowed one earned run, coming on a solo shot in the sixth, while scattering four hits and striking out two on 91 pitches. With the win, Soto improves to 6-2 on the season while putting the Broncos in a favorable position for the series finale with the series lead and a rested bullpen.
Up Next
The Broncos look for the series win tomorrow, April 21st, with a 12:00 PM game at Reeder Field. It would be their fifth series win of the season.
Bronco Bits
- CPP is now 123-113 (.521) all-time against Cal State LA, including 6-4 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 407-259 (.611) overall as head coach of the Broncos. He is 35 CCAA wins away from passing John Scolinos for most conference games won in CPP history. He is now 290-189 (.605) in CCAA games, while Scolinos was 324-256-3 (.558) in conference competition.
- Johnny Pappas is now tied with Chris Clark (1978-80) for 6th most walks in program history at 97. Pappas' current coach, Jenzen Torres, is tied with Tom Weeks for 4th most at 100.
- The Broncos have a winning percentage above .500 in conference play, at home, on the road, and overall this season.
Latest All Athletics News
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
