Box Scores: Game 1 / Game 2
By Sean Leahy
BroncoAthletics.com
POMONA, Calif. - The Cal Poly Pomona baseball team swept the non-conference doubleheader Friday against the Saint Martin's Saints. The Broncos won the first game, 5-2, and managed to hang on to a 7-6 lead to solidify the second victory of the day for their home opener.
CPP improves to 3-0 to continue a strong start to the young season. The Saints, in turn, drop to 0-3 for the season.
Game 1 CPP 5, SMU 2
CPP pitcher Ryan Dunn got the call to start in the first game of this doubleheader and didn't disappoint. He pitched five strong innings while only yielding two hits and no runs.
Dunn received run support early as the Broncos scored in the first. Ryan Goodman, who went 2-for-4 and two runs scored in the game, lead off the first inning with a double to left field. He then advanced to third base on a bunt single by Mike Santora. Goodman would then score when SMU pitcher Michael McIver caught Santora attempting to steal second, giving CPP a 1-0 lead. The Broncos would keep that lead the rest of the game.
CPP would add a run in the third when Joseph Eusebio scored off a ground ball out by Mike Santora. The Broncos would add two more runs in the fifth when a throwing error by McIver, after giving up to straight singles to start the inning, allowed Humberto Tovalin to score. The second run came from Ryan Goodman being picked off after reaching on McIver's throwing error, allowing Eusebio to scamper home.
McIver pitched a solid seven innings, giving up four runs while surrendering six hits and took the loss for the Saints.
SMU got on the board in the sixth inning when Zach Leonard scored on an RBI groundout by Andrew Elke off relief pitcher Shane Philipps to make the score 4-1. They would score again in the eighth on an RBI single by Andrew Johnson - his second base hit of the game - which scored Kyle Baskett to cut the lead to two runs.
CPP would score one more time in the eighth inning making the score 5-2 on a sacrifice fly by Jenzen Torres, driving in Goodman for his second run scored of the game.
The CPP bullpen put together a strong effort, as Philipps, Michael Parker, and Allen Rodarte each went an inning and a third while allowing only one earned run between them and striking out a combined five hitters. Rodarte picked up his second save of the season in the victory.
Game 2 CPP 7, SMU 6
Offense wasn't hard to come by in this game as the Broncos managed to cling to a 7-6 lead in this seven inning affair to finish off Friday's doubleheader against SMU.
CPP junior pitcher Geoff Broussard got the nod to start for the Broncos and had to battle his control early in the game. He led the game off by walking the first two batters of the game, but rebounded by striking out the next two. However, the Saints would score on an errant throw by catcher Michael Neff, who was trying to catch SMU's Kyle Baskett stealing third. The throw sailed into the outfield, allowing Baskett to easily score, giving the Saints an early 1-0 lead.
The Broncos would respond in the top of the first by adding two runs of their own. SMU's Kaleb Wilson would have control problems of his own in the beginning as he walked Ryan Goodman and hit Mike Santora with a pitch. Both runners would advance on a wild pitch. Goodman then scored on an RBI sacrifice fly by Jenzen Torres, with Santora scoring on an RBI single by Travis Taijeron which gave CPP a 2-1 lead.
The Saints would score again on an RBI groundout by Baskett, scoring Spencer Dodd in the process and tying the game 2-2.
The tie was broken the very next inning when Taijeron connected for a two-run shot to left center, giving CPP a 4-2 lead.
However, that lead would be short-lived as Broussard would run into trouble in the top of the fourth. He gave up two-straight singles to Dodd and Alex Bielaski, and then hit Colt savage with a pitch, loading the bases. He would then be pulled for Scott Sibley, but the damage couldn't be reversed. Sibley would strike out Baskett, but the pitch was too difficult for Neff to handle and a run was scored on the wild pitch. Bielaski and Savage both scored on a two-run single by Andrew Elke, who finished the game 2-for-3. Elke's single gave SMU a 5-4 lead.
The Broncos weren't done scoring though, as they put three runs on the board in the bottom of the fifth. Jordan Whitman joined in with an RBI single to drive in Chris Miller who had singled earlier. Whitman would score on a throwing error by third baseman Josh Grenier. Santora would then drive in the third run with a sacrifice fly to bring in Tovalin who had walked earlier and advanced to third on Grenier's error.
CPP's four through seven hitters combined for an impressive nine of the Broncos' 10 hits with Miller having three of those nine.
Sibley took advantage of the lead that was given to him, pitching 3.2 innings of relief while giving up only one earned run. That run came in the final inning as Elke singled and scored on a double by Johnson with one out. Johnson then advanced to third on a wild pitch. The Saints couldn't capitalize on the opportunity as Travis Jones struck out and Cody Brooks flew out to end the threat and the game.
The Broncos will head to Cal State L.A. to take on the Golden Eagles at 10 a.m. Saturday.
