POMONA - Cal Poly Pomona got solid starting pitching for a fifth straight game, but surrendered a six-run sixth to fall to Montana State University Billings, 9-4, to begin a four-game non-conference series at Scolinos Field on Thursday night.

In snapping a three-game win streak, CPP drops to 3-2 on the young season. MSUB, out of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC), improves to an identical 3-2 with a second win in a row. The teams had never before faced each other, with the Yellowjackets coming off of a four-game split at Cal State LA last weekend.

Drawing his first collegiate start in just his second appearance, true freshman left-hander Edrian Rangel ran into some early trouble by walking his first batter and then hitting the second in the initial frame. The Pomona native out of Bonita High School escaped the jam, however, by getting two flyouts around a fielder's choice groundout.

The Broncos worked a pair of walks in their first turn at the plate, but were unable to push a run across.

The very bottom of the MSUB order put together a two-out rally for the game's first run in the second, as Cooper Dulich pulled a double inside the left field line on a 3-2 pitch, and came home on Bodee Wright's single up the middle.

Nick Lugo's opposite-field double, also down the line in left with the count full, led off the home second, and the CPP shortstop was sacrificed to third, but then thrown out at the plate on a fielder's choice ground ball.

After Rangel's first 1-2-3 frame on three flyouts in the third, the Broncos got a second successive leadoff double, this time from Johnny Pappas at the top of the order, into the gap in left center on a two-strike count. The catcher moved to third on a flyout, but again CPP failed to cash in, as another flyout and an infield lineout followed.

With two away in the fifth, Pappas produced another two-strike double, but was stranded at second as Dylan Barkley fanned three around that knock.

The visitors quickly loaded the bases on three singles to begin the sixth off the new Bronco pitcher. A hit-by-pitch doubled their advantage as CPP went to Drew Atherton. The veteran right-hander got a pair of strikeouts around an RBI single in his efforts to minimize the damage, but back-to-back first-pitch, two-run hits extended it to a 7-0 bulge.

MSUB added single two-out tallies in the seventh and eighth.

Once CPP got Barkley out of the game, it found its way onto the scoreboard with a three-run eighth on four hits, two walks and two wild pitches. Pappas started it off with a single and after a Dante Palacio double, scored on a single through the left side by Ricky Nuñez. Palacio and Nuñez each came home on wild pitches. The Broncos still had the bases loaded when MSUB went to a second pitching change, but Blake Rainey came on to induce an inning-ending ground ball.

A leadoff walk in the ninth to Pappas led to a fourth CPP run, as freshman designated hitter Jacob Lopez singled him in with two outs.

Rangel (0-1) allowed one run on two hits, two walks and a hit-by-pitch over 5.0 innings. He struck out three. Rangel set down six straight Yellowjackets following Wright's RBI single, with the last five via flyout. In fact, MSUB managed just a walk as Rangel posted three zeroes in a row after the second.

Pappas finished 3-for-4 with a walk, two runs, and his first two-double effort as a Bronco. All three of his hits came with two strikes. The Chino Hills product reached base four times for the second game in a row. Nuñez registered his first run and first two-hit game for CPP, adding an RBI. Lopez put together his third collegiate two-hit game already, also with an RBI. Lugo was 1-for-4 with a walk and a double.

Barkley (1-0) gave up three hits and three walks over 7.0 shutout frames. The junior left-hander struck out eight, and had a pair of perfect innings in the fourth and seventh. Barkley retired eight consecutive Broncos between Pappas' two doubles.

Carson Green and Hayden Foltz at the top of the Yellowjacket order, each had a run, hit, walk and two RBI. Dulich was 3-for-5 with a double, two runs and an RBI. Wright added two hits and two RBI. Ethan Babcock-Barrie had two hits of his own and a run scored.

Cal Poly Pomona and MSUB continue their series with a single matinee on Friday, Feb. 11. First pitch at Scolinos Field is set for 12 p.m. Please click here for CPP Athletics' latest baseball spectator policy.

All CPP baseball contests throughout this 2022 season are streaming live online via the CCAA Network at www.ccaanetwork.com. Fans may also download the CCAA Network app on your iOS or Android smartphone, tablet, or through web streaming devices such as Amazon Fire, Roku or Apple TV. The CCAA Network has moved to a subscription-based model at just $9.95 per month. Subscribers have access to all CCAA broadcasts, both live and on-demand.

Bronco Bits: Cal Poly Pomona is 323-202 (.615) under 12th-year head coach Randy Betten ... Ryon Knowles missed his first game of 2022 after starting the first four, while Cesar Lopez was out for the second straight contest ... Johnny Pappas took over Knowles' leadoff position in the order ... Second-year freshman Luke Watson, like Edrian Rangel a graduate of Bonita High School in La Verne, drew his first college start at third base ... Bryce Wooldridge started for the first time this season, at second base, after twice entering defensively during the opening weekend ... Rangel's 5.0 innings pitched and three strikeouts were both season highs ... Left-hander Matthew Henry made his CPP debut in relief of Rangel to begin the sixth ... Andy Hurtado registered his first strikeout in the green and gold ... Fellow new arm Drew D'Ambra needed seven pitches to fire a 1-2-3 ninth via three groundouts ... CPP is the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) coaches' preseason favorite, garnering six of the 11 first-place votes ... MSUB is picked to finish fourth in the five-team GNAC ... The Broncos were receiving votes outside of the top 40 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper preseason poll, released on Dec. 21.