LA JOLLA, Calif. - An exciting beginning to this week's series between the No. 20 Cal Poly Pomona Broncos and the No. 17 UC San Diego Tritons came to a close late Thursday, as the hometown Tritons edged CPP 4-3 in the 11th inning.
 
Both starting pitchers had stellar outings, as Justin Donatella and Chris Powell threw down to start the most anticipated series of the season thus far.
 
With the loss, the Broncos fall to an overall 22-9 mark on the season, complete with a 14-7 mark in conference play. The win improves the Tritons to a conference leading 19-5 and an overall 23-9 standing.
 
Powell dealt 6.2 solid innings on the bump for the Broncos, striking out six and allowing just three hits and two earned runs to score. After Powell's showing, the CPP pitching staff came in and Austin Boyle, Michael Koval, Zach Williams, and J.J. Franklin provided relief for the senior starting pitcher.
 
The Tritons' ace, Donatella, was just as troublesome to the Bronco batters as Powell was to the UCSD offense. He provided seven total innings on the mound, and recorded nine strikeouts and just two hits with one run scoring. His next two relievers each added a Bronco run to the board, but the final pitcher for the home team came in and earned the win.
 
UCSD was first on the board as a grounder to second scored a runner from third and gave the Tritons' their first of the four runs.
 
In the top of the sixth inning, the CCAA home run leader and last week's Player of the Week, Kyle Garlick, added homer No. 11, sending the long ball careening over the left field fence. The senior improved his consecutive hit streak to 13 games with a 2-for-3 showing at the plate.
 
In the top half of the next inning, the Tritons proved patient at the plate and a few key walks allowed a runner to make his way home, putting them up 2-1 in the contest.
 
With the game looking nearly over, the top of the ninth proved fortuitous for the Broncos as Michael Zidek crossed the plate after a wild pitch gave him enough time to score from third.
 
In the first extra inning, Mike Philp came in for CPP and provided a single through the left side that scored a waiting Garlick from second base and gave CPP the 3-2 advantage.
 
Not wanting the game to end, the Tritons loaded the bases with nobody out and then grounded into a 643 double play (short-second-first) that allowed the runner to score.
 
In what would prove to be the final inning of the game, UCSD's most efficient hitter on the day, Grady Sanchez, who went 4-for-6, had his final hit and subsequently stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error. Then a ground ball single through the right side proved too far for a fielder to grab it and provided enough time for the fourth and final run to cross.
 
CPP and the Tritons will return to action on Friday with another 6 p.m. start in La Jolla.