SEASIDE, Calif. - Cal Poly Pomona answered a three-run Cal State Monterey Bay eighth with a three-run ninth and held on, 6-4, to salvage the finale of a four-game California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) baseball series Sunday at the Otter Sports Complex.

In snapping a season-long four-game losing streak, CPP improves to 9-11 overall and 4-7 in the CCAA. Cal State Monterey Bay drops to 14-7 overall and 9-3 in league play. The Otters had won 3-2 on Friday night before sweeping Saturday's doubleheader, 3-2 and 8-3, to clinch the series victory.

The home side produced a single tally in the third to open the day's scoring. Kyle Guerra sent the first pitch of the frame into the gap in left center for a double, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Hunter Harris, and scored on Chase Lindemann's single through the right side.

CPP flipped the script right away in the fourth. Nick Lugo and AJ Nimeh worked walks for starters, and both advanced on Tyler Chaffee's first sacrifice bunt. After a pop-up, second-year freshman designated hitter Jacob Lopez came through with the clutch two-run single up the middle.

The Broncos added a third run in the fifth, as Ryon Knowles produced his fifth double to lead off, moved to third on a flyout by Cesar Lopez, and scored on Ricky Nuñez's infield single.

During their eighth-inning rally, the Otters loaded the bases on two walks and another Lindemann single. Junior right-handed reliever Matt Orozco nearly wriggled out of the jam, getting Brady Miguel to hit into a fielder's choice groundout with Chaffee throwing out the lead runner at the plate, and then throwing a 3-2 pitch past a swinging Nathan Flores. On Orozco's very next toss, however, Jason Ajamian pushed a two-run, game-tying single right up the middle. Jacob Martin then dropped an RBI single into left center to plate Miguel for a 4-3 lead.

The Broncos went right back to work, and Johnny Pappas greeted new arm Parker Fokken with an infield single. Knowles' first sacrifice of 2022 moved the tying run into scoring position, and Cesar Lopez knotted the score once more by pulling a single to right field. Nuñez followed with his fourth double, down the line in left, to send Cesar Lopez home with what proved to be the game-winning tally. After another Otter pitching change, Lugo's single put Broncos at the corners, still with just one away, and Nimeh's RBI fielder's choice groundout restored CPP's two-run advantage as Nuñez scored to make it 6-4.

In his first relief appearance as a Bronco, Scott Armstrong (1-3) earned his first winning decision in the green and gold. The junior right-hander needed six pitches to get a flyout and groundout to begin the last half. Cooper Smith worked a six-pitch walk to bring up the potential tying run at the top of the order in the form of Lindemann, who was 3-for-4 in the game, but Armstrong got the first-pitch pop-up to Knowles to end it.

Noel Soto threw a season-long 7.0 innings and gave up two runs on five hits and two walks. The sophomore right-hander struck out two. Soto had back-to-back-to-back perfect frames in the fourth, fifth and sixth, retiring 12 Otters in succession in all. He also used a 6-4-3 double play to get around a leadoff single in the first, and a 4-3 twin killing handled by Knowles to offset a one-out single in the seventh.

Nuñez finished 3-for-5 with a double, run and two RBI. Pappas and Nimeh each added a pair of hits and a run scored. Pappas registered his team-best ninth double, and Nimeh his Jacob Lopez was 1-for-5 and matched his season high of two RBI.

Fokken (0-2) was pinned with the loss in relief of starter Nick Bouillerce, who allowed three runs on seven hits  and three walks over 5.0 frames, without striking out a batter. The sophomore left-hander posted a 1-2-3 first.

Cal Poly Pomona is back in home action next weekend, welcoming in Cal State East Bay for a four-game set beginning in primetime on Friday, March 18. First pitch at Scolinos Field is at 6 p.m.

All CCAA 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 329-211 (.609) overall and 230-155 (.597) in CCAA play under 12th-year head coach Randy Betten ... Noel Soto drew his fourth appearance and third start on the mound ... Jacob Lopez became the third different Bronco to hold the leadoff spot in the batting order, starting there for the first time as a collegian ... Jacob Lopez then extended his reached-base streak to 18 games and advanced his hit streak to 11 contests, both CPP bests thus far for 2022 ... Four more walks increased the Broncos' CCAA-leading total to 119, with CPP having entered Friday eighth nationally ... CPP leads the all-time series, 37-31, and is 11-20 in Seaside ... Prior to Friday, the teams had not met since the the opening day of the 2019 NCAA Division II West Regional in Azusa on May 16, 2019, with the Broncos coming away with an 11-6 victory ... CPP is 26-22 against CSUMB under Betten (9-14 in Seaside) ... CPP is the preseason favorite in the CCAA, earning six of the 11 first-place votes, with CSUMB in third with two first-place nods ... The Otters were receiving votes outside the top 30 of Monday's first in-season edition of the Collegiate Baseball national poll.