ROHNERT PARK, Calif. - Will Rudy sculpted nine masterful innings of one-hit baseball before Cal Poly Pomona finally erupted for eight runs in the 11th to break open a pitchers' duel and defeat Sonoma State University, 8-0, to open a four-game California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) series at Seawolf Diamond on Friday afternoon.

With a sixth consecutive conference triumph, CPP improves to 14-12 overall and 9-7 in the CCAA. Sonoma State, which had won two straight games coming in, drops to 6-16 overall and 3-10 in league play.

The 9.0 frames made for a new career-long outing for Rudy, with just the one hit and a walk against the third-year freshman right-hander. Nine of his career-high-tying 12 strikeouts were of the swinging variety, as he reached double digits for the third time in his six starts this season. Rudy retired his first nine and last nine, and faced one over the minimum 27.

The Broncos finally got to Sonoma State in the 11th, opening the inning with a four-pitch walk by reigning CCAA Player of the Week Cesar Lopez ahead of a Ricky Nuñez single and bunt single by Nick Lugo to load the bases with nobody out. Third-year freshman third baseman Tyler Chaffee then came through with a first-pitch, two-run, opposite-field single down the right field line to break the scoreless deadlock. After true freshman centerfielder AJ Nimeh was hit by reliever Michael Benz's next offering, Casey Slattery jumped all over an 0-1 toss to pull a no-doubter grand slam well over the wall in right to bust it open. It was the first-year junior transfer's second long ball in the green and gold.

CPP filled the bags again and Lugo inside-outed a 3-2 toss to the opposite field in left for a two-out, two-run single and 8-0 bulge. It ended up matching the Broncos' highest-scoring frame of 2022. They sent 13 to the plate, registering seven hits, two walks and a hit-by-pitch.

Both starting pitchers were perfect in the initial frame, with Rudy striking out the side in order. He fanned two more around a groundout in a 1-2-3 second. Rudy retired the first nine Seawolf batters in all before a single by Desmond Gates to lead off the fourth. He was promptly cut down, however, as catcher Johnny Pappas fired to second baseman Ryon Knowles to catch the senior outfielder stealing for the first time this season on his fourth try, ahead of back-to-back groundouts.

CPP had two runners on base for the first time in the third, through a two-out Jacob Lopez single and subsequent walk to Pappas, but Nick Roth got Knowles to fly out to end the inning. Nuñez then hit a first-pitch, opposite-field double to right center with one away in the fourth, but was stranded there.

The Broncos put men at the corners in the fifth with a one-out Slattery double and another free pass to Pappas with two away, but a third groundout in the frame induced by Roth ended that threat.

Rudy, meanwhile, had still faced the minimum 18 through six, with two more swinging punch-outs following a groundout to Chaffee at third base in an easy fifth, and a groundout and two flyouts in the sixth.

With Roth being replaced on the hill by Benz to begin the seventh, CPP produced two more base runners via leadoff Chaffee single and two-out walk to Jacob Lopez, but Pappas' flyout kept it scoreless.

Rudy issued his first walk of the afternoon to Gates on five tosses to open the home seventh, but was unbothered, as two groundouts around a called third strike stranded Gates as the only Seawolf to reach second.

Rudy still needed only 12 pitches to get through a perfect eighth with two groundouts and his 10th strikeout. He made 13 tosses in a seventh 1-2-3 inning in the ninth with two more strikeouts around a groundout.

Junior right-hander Matt Orozco (1-0) finally took over to start the home 10th and didn't skip a beat, posting an eighth 1-2-3 inning by a Bronco arm with a called third strike in between a pair of fly balls. He was the beneficiary of the 11th-inning outburst and picked up his first winning decision of 2022. Matthew Henry provided a 1-2-3 11th to cap it off.

This was the second time this season that multiple Bronco hurlers combined on a shutout, this one of the more difficult 11-inning variety with a lone hit allowed in the form of that leadoff single in the fourth.

Slattery wound up 2-for-5 with the home run, a double, one run scored and a season-high-tying four RBI. Nuñez, Lugo and Chaffee each went 2-for-6 with a run, while Lugo and Chaffee drove in two runs apiece.

Roth gave up four hits and two walks over a season-long 6.0 frames of shutout baseball. The junior right-hander fanned two. He got a 4-6-3 double play to wipe out a leadoff single by Cesar Lopez in the sixth, before handling a first-pitch comebacker for the third out. Benz (1-4) got three ground balls during a 1-2-3 eighth, and the senior right-hander was perfect again in the ninth with his first two strikeouts, but took the loss.

Rudy, an Irvine native out of Woodbridge High School, had previously thrown 8.0 frames of one-hit ball in another combined shutout at home over Chico State on March 4 with 12 strikeouts, facing the minimum 24 opposing batters in that one.

This series continues with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 26. First pitch at Seawolf Diamond is set for 11 a.m., with the seven-inning nightcap following after about a 40-minute break in between games.

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 334-212 (.612) overall and 235-155 (.603) in CCAA play under 12th-year head coach Randy Betten ... Will Rudy made his ninth collegiate appearance and sixth mound start this year ... Rudy now has a remarkable 14.75 strikeout-to-walk ratio, with a league-leading 59 strikeouts against just four walks ... Rudy's was the sixth double-digit strikeout effort by a Bronco hurler in 2022, with a team-best three now coming from him ... Second-year freshman Jacob Lopez started his seventh straight game in the leadoff spot, returning to his role as the designated hitter ... Nick Lugo, Ricky Nuñez and Johnny Pappas all returned to the lineup, having had Tuesday night off against Biola after starting each of the first 24 contests ... Pappas' third-inning walk extended his reached-base streak to 13 games, and his 11th-inning single advanced his hit streak to 10 ... Nuñez's fourth-inning double was his sixth, with Casey Slattery's fifth-inning double his third ... Tyler Chaffee's seventh-inning steal was his fourth on seven attempts to tie him for the team lead ... Five more walks increased the Broncos' CCAA-leading total to 152, which ranked fifth nationally through games played Thursday ... The Broncos are 3-6 away from home and 2-0 in extra innings in 2022 ... Sonoma State leads 52-46 in the all-time series that dates back to 1991 (24-22 in Rohnert Park), and had won two straight before today ... CPP is 17-19 against SSU in the Betten era (8-8 in Rohnert Park) ... These teams had last met in Rohnert Park, March 23-24, 2019, with the Seawolves taking three out of four ... CPP and SSU were about to begin a four-game set in Pomona on March 13, 2020, but the season was suspended the day before on March 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic ... CPP was the CCAA's preseason favorite, earning six of the 11 first-place votes, with Sonoma State picked ninth.