Box Score
CARSON, Calif. – The Cal Poly Pomona baseball team earned a 5-3 season-opening win Thursday, as the Broncos topped Cal State Dominguez Hills on the road in comeback fashion.
It marked the first career head coaching victory for Randy Betten, who took control of the CPP program on Jan. 4.
“We still have a long way to go but I like the direction we're headed," Betten said. "The guys are learning how I want them to play the game and I saw glimpses of a solid ballclub today, which was great. Overall, it was a well-played team effort and I was very pleased with the energy we showed.”
The Broncos improve to 1-0 overall, while the Toros drop to 0-1. Although the teams are California Collegiate Athletic Association rivals, Thursday's contest counts as a non-conference affair.
CPP senior right-handed pitcher Casey Yokubaitis earned the starting nod on the mound and performed admirably, despite some trouble in the opening frame. In the bottom of the first, he allowed the first two runners to reach base and a single from Jonathan Keener plated Carlos Leyva to give CSUDH an early 1-0 lead.
The Toros stretched their advantage to 2-0 in the bottom of the third, when a double by Abel Medina brought home Kyle Pond. With Pond previously reaching on an error, the run ended up as unearned on Yokubaitis' line.
Facing the early 2-0 hole, the Broncos rallied for five unanswered runs between the fourth and sixth innings. Travis Taijeron started a rally in the fourth, as he reached and advanced on a pair of CSUDH errors. First baseman Chris Miller, a junior transfer from Santa Ana College, knocked in his teammate with a single to right center.
CPP worked even more efficiently on offense during the fifth inning, as Jordan Whitman worked a leadoff walk and third baseman Humberto Tovalin ripped a two-run homerun to right field. It marked just the second career at-bat for Tovalin, a freshman from San Diego, Calif.
The Broncos pushed the score to 5-2 after a Whitman single in the sixth brought in Miller. After Tovalin reached base on the next play, CSUDH pulled its starting pitcher, Shane Youngdale. The senior from Anaheim, Calif., finished with 5.2 innings and three earned runs allowed while striking out just two CPP hitters.
After Yokubaitis pushed through his four frames, scattering three hits and striking out three, the Broncos turned the ball over to Jake Reed. A junior transfer from Cuesta College, Reed posted four strong relief innings and allowed just one run to pick up his first career win. The lone score came after a Leyva single brought in Danny Haley during the eighth inning.
Allen Rodarte pitched to four hitters during the ninth as he picked up his first career save for the Broncos. The two teams combined Thursday for seven errors, with four going to the Toros and three to CPP.
Up next for the Broncos will be a home doubleheader Friday starting at 11 a.m. against Saint Martin's.
