Box Score | STOCKTON, Calif. – Cal Poly Pomona staged a dramatic comeback in the ninth inning Friday, sending the playoff game into extras before falling 5-4 when UC San Diego captured a walk-off win in the bottom of the 11th.

Pinch hitter Michael Zidek initiated the ninth-inning rally with a one-out single and later in the frame,  Matt Muñoz delivered a game-tying two-RBI double off the bottom base of the fence in right-center. The Tritons of UCSD bounced back in the 11th though, getting a walk-off double down the leftfield line off the bat of designated hitter Nick La Face.

The result sends CPP into an elimination game Saturday at the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championships. The Broncos will take on Chico State with a 3 p.m. first pitch. It'll be another battle of nationally-ranked opponents, with CPP at 32-14 overall and 19th nationally while the Wildcats are 38-12 and at No. 9 in the latest top 25 poll.

The winner of the Broncos-Chico matchup will move into a 7 p.m. Saturday game against UCSD. The Tritons, 2-0 this week in Stockton, will need one win for the conference title while their opponent will need to win Saturday and Sunday because of the double-elimination format.

UCSD got on the board first in Friday's matchup as La Face knocked an RBI single in the third inning to score teammate Garrett Tuck. Broncos' sophomore righthander Cody Ponce worked in and out of jams throughout his six-inning outing, finishing with three runs allowed and seven strikeouts to match his season high.

The CPP offense gave Ponce some run support in the fifth. Freshman Steven Andrade started the rally with a single on a 2-2 pitch and Christian Kelley followed with a well-placed bunt that resulted in a throwing error from UCSD pitcher Dan Kolodin. Trevor Magno provided a groundout RBI later in the inning and with two outs, Joseph Eusebio lined a single into right-center to put the Broncos ahead 2-1. Eusebio finished 2-for-5 at the plate, raising his playoff hit total to six this week.

The Tritons managed to tally four walks in the seventh inning, staging a three-run rally to take a 4-2 edge. A bases-loaded walk for Troy Cruz tied the game 2-2 and two batters later, UCSD catcher Brett Levy drove in two runs with a two-out single to leftfield.

A hard-fought at-bat from Zidek in the ninth led to a one-out single and the Broncos' game-tying rally in their last turn at the plate gave the CPP fans plenty to cheer about. In the end though, La Face proved to be the hero on Friday night under the lights at Banner Island Ballpark. On Saturday, the Broncos will look to avoid elimination in the afternoon to force a rematch with UCSD at night.