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Cal Poly Pomona Athletics

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The Cal Poly Pomona baseball team celebrates one of the team's 10 runs scored in Saturday's doubleheader sweep over Cal State L.A.

Broncos Sweep Doubleheader to Extend 1st-Place Lead

3/8/2014 11:00:00 PM

POMONA, Calif. - Cal Poly Pomona's 2014 success at Scolinos Field continued Saturday as the Broncos swept a doubleheader from Cal State L.A. to extend the team's first-place lead in the conference standings.

After a brilliant complete-game shutout from Max Bethell in a 6-0 game one victory, CPP held on for a 4-3 seven-inning win in the second contest. At 17-4 overall and 11-4 in the CCAA, the Broncos own a winning percentage of 73.3 in conference play. The two teams in second place, UC San Diego and San Francisco State, are at 63.6.

Through 13 games so far this year at Scolinos Field, CPP has produced 12 victories. The Broncos travel to Cal State East Bay next weekend for a four-game set.

Reigning CCAA Player of the Week David Armendariz starred offensively for the Broncos in the series. The senior outfielder went 7-for-18 at the plate with two runs and seven RBI. He leads the league in runs batted in this year with 25.

Game 1 Box Score | Broncos 6, Golden Eagles 0

After a pair of tough starts in late February, Bethell bounced back Saturday with a dominant outing against the Golden Eagles. The sophomore lefthander from Garden Grove retired the first seven hitters he faced, including a pair of swinging strikeouts in the second inning.

All three of the hits allowed by Bethell were singles and the performanced mark the first complete-game shutout of his Bronco career.

The CPP offense gave Bethell more than enough support. The scoring started in the bottom of the first, which began with a Matt Munoz double and continued with an RBI single by Armendariz. It was a team effort at the plate as six Broncos posted multi-hit performances.

Munoz, the CCAA leader in walks, collected two bases on balls and scored twice. The CPP hitters found the leftfield corner on multiple occasions, including a triple from Steven Andrade in the bottom of the second. That three-run rally started with a Jason Padlo single while Mike Philp and Trevor Magno added hits later in the frame.

Bethell kept his pitch count low and despite giving up a leadoff hit in the top of the ninth, he retired the next three hitters to wrap up the 6-0 win.

Game 2 Box Score | Broncos 4, Golden Eagles 3

Game two mirrored the first game in a way. Another sophomore starting pitcher for CPP, Cody Ponce, put together a stellar outing while the Bronco bats provided the needed run support. A last-inning rally from CSULA reversed the momentum but CPP held on for the one-run win.

Ponce, an Upland native, retired the first six batters he faced. With one out in the bottom of the first, Armendariz lifted his fourth homer of 2014 over the leftfield fence to put CPP on the board. Chris Carlson stepped to the plate next, doubling to right center and later scoring on a Bo Walter single.

The heart of the lineup helped the team add two more runs in the third. Carlson collected another extra-base hit, knocking a triple to bring in Armendariz. Joseph Eusebio then added a sac fly to extend CPP's lead to 4-0.

Down to their final turn at the plate and trailing by four runs, the Golden Eagles put together an impressive rally in the top of the seventh. Jesus Cuevas led off with a four-pitch walk and then L.A. connected on back-to-back singles to get on the board with a run.

The Golden Eagles took advantage of a throwing error to cut the lead to 4-2 and then pulled to within one on an RBI groundout by Casey Ryan. With two outs and the potential tying run at third, Ponce got Manny Acosta swinging to end the ballgame.