ROHNERT PARK, Calif. - The Cal Poly Pomona baseball team split its California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) doubleheader with Sonoma State University on Saturday at Seawolf Diamond. The Broncos scored early and often en route to a 13-0 romp to begin the day, but dropped a 7-1 decision in the seven-inning nightcap.

With the day's results, CPP moves to 15-13 overall and 10-8 in the CCAA. The defeat in the second game snapped its seven-game conference win streak, having also taken Friday's series opener, 8-0 in 11 frames. Sonoma State is now 7-17 overall and 4-11 in league play.

This series concludes with a single getaway-day finale on Sunday, March 27. With rain in the forecast for later in the day, the first pitch at Seawolf Diamond has been moved up from 11 a.m. to 10 a.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.

Game One - CPP 13, SSU 0
The Cal Poly Pomona took Friday's eight-run 11th inning and rolled it right into Saturday, as the Broncos struck for a seven-run third in Saturday's first game following a three-run first.

The initial frame began with Jared Esparza hitting Jacob Lopez with a 2-2 toss. The freshman right-hander then walked Cesar Lopez on five pitches with one away, and plunked Ryon Knowles with two gone to load the bases. A two-run, opposite-field single to left by Nick Lugo and a passed ball around the day's first pitching change, made it 3-0. It was a second two-run single to left in as many at-bats for the Broncos' junior shortstop, as he had put the capper on Friday's big 11th in the same manner, with both knocks coming after he had worked the count full.

Sonoma State produced back-to-back singles to begin the home second, but CPP starter Noel Soto escaped that jam unscathed through a strikeout, flyout and foulout. The Broncos answered by effectively ending the contest through the seven-run third in which they sent 10 to the plate and belted two home runs among five hits in all.

One-out walks to Ricky Nuñez and Knowles preceded consecutive RBI singles by Lugo and Tyler Chaffee, with Lugo's a two-strike knock through the right side. True freshman centerfielder AJ Nimeh's single filled the bags following a second Seawolf mound change.

Junior first baseman Casey Slattery, who hammered a grand slam in the middle of Friday's eight-run 11th, did it again, pulling his second slam in as many games out to right on a 1-2 offering for his third long ball of the season. Two hitters later with two away, sophomore catcher Johnny Pappas lifted his first major college home run to left field on the first pitch of his at-bat.

CPP tacked on a single tally in the fourth on Nimeh's bases-loaded RBI groundout, and two final runs in the fifth through a wild pitch and a passed ball.

Soto (2-0) matched his season high of 7.0 innings and allowed no runs on four hits and no walks. The sophomore right-hander struck out five and picked up his second win in as many starts. His third punch-out began a 1-2-3 shutdown third, and his fifth one capped a 1-2-3 shutdown fifth. Soto was perfect a third time in the sixth on just eight pitches against a trio of pinch-hitters. He retired 10 in a row between a hit-by-pitch to lead off the fourth, and a one-out infield single in the seventh.

Slattery was 3-for-5 with his home run, one run and four RBI for the third time this season. Lugo went 2-for-6 with a run, and drove in a season-high three. Pappas finished 2-for-4 with a home run, walk, two runs and one RBI. Nuñez wound up 2-for-3 with two walks and two runs, while Knowles provided one hit, two walks and two runs. Chaffee and Nimeh each were 1-for-3 with a run and an RBI. Chaffee walked twice and Jacob Lopez scored twice.

Cal Poly Pomona's third shutout of 2022 gave it back-to-back shutouts for the first time since April 23 and April 28, 2016, when the Broncos posted wins by the same 2-0 score at home against Cal State LA in seven innings, and then at Cal State San Bernardino in 10.

Esparza (0-2) did not make it out of the first frame, registering two outs while giving up three runs, two of them earned, on one hit, two hit-by-pitches and one walk. The freshman right-hander fanned one.

Game Two - SSU 7, CPP 1 (7)
Cal Poly Pomona had two men reach in the first through a leadoff single and one-out walk, but a popout and groundout ended that initial threat.

A two-out rally opened the scoring in favor of the Broncos in the third. Fifth-year senior rightfielder Cesar Lopez, the reigning CCAA Player of the Week, poked his league-leading 14th double to the opposite field and down the line in left on a 2-2 throw. Ricky Nuñez followed with an RBI single, also to the opposite field to right.

In the home half, however, Sonoma State finally scored its first runs of the series and grabbed its first lead of the weekend, in a big way at 6-1. The hosts produced two infield singles around a fielder's choice groundout for starters, before Torreahno Sweet came through with a first-pitch, two-run double down the left field line. An RBI single by Josh Medina and a hit-by-pitch preceded a three-run home run to left by Braeden Holliday. It was the sophomore rightfielder's team-best sixth.

Desmond Gates greeted new CPP arm Drew D'Ambra with his first triple as a Seawolf, down the right field line to open the home fourth, and trotted home on Medina's sacrifice fly to make it a 7-1 game.

In his first starting assignment of 2022 after four relief stints, Drew Atherton (0-1) went a season-long 3.0 innings and gave up six runs on seven hits, two hit-by-pitches and no walks. The fifth-year junior right-hander struck out a season-high four, including three in the first around a one-out single and two-out steal. Three quick groundouts on nine tosses got the La Crescenta product through his first 1-2-3 frame in the second.

Chaffee was 1-for-1 with a walk and a double. Cesar Lopez went 1-for-2 with a walk, double and run scored. Nuñez was 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Jason Doktorcyzk (4-1) allowed the lone run on five hits, a hit-by-pitch and three walks over a career-long 7.0 frames for Sonoma State's first complete game of 2022, striking out three. The freshman right-hander ducked around a one-out double to post a shutdown fourth, and retired the side in order in the fifth. A 4-6-3 double play off Knowles' bat wiped out an infield single to begin the sixth.

Bronco Bits: Cal Poly Pomona is 335-213 (.611) overall and 236-156 (.602) in CCAA play under 12th-year head coach Randy Betten ... Second-year freshman designated hitter Jacob Lopez started his eighth and ninth straights game in the leadoff spot ... Twelve more walks increased the Broncos' CCAA-leading total to 164, which ranked seventh nationally entering the day ... The Broncos are 4-7 away from home in 2022 ... Sonoma State leads 53-47 in the all-time series that dates back to 1991 (25-23 in Rohnert Park) ... CPP is 18-20 against SSU in the Betten era (9-9 in Rohnert Park) ... Prior to this weekend, 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 ... Game One: Noel Soto drew his sixth appearance and fifth start on the mound ... Johnny Pappas' third-inning home run extended his reached-base streak to 14 games and his hit streak to 11 ... Junior right-hander Andy Hurtado struck out a season-high three, all swinging in the eighth in relief of Soto around a two-out walk ... Junior southpaw Zuko Tillman pitched a 1-2-3 ninth and ended the game on a called third strike ... CPP scored in double digits for the eighth time this year (7-1) ... Game Two: Drew Atherton had made 11 starts among 20 appearances prior to this season ... Tyler Chaffee's fourth-inning double was his third ... Pappas finished 0-for-4 to snap his reached-base and hit streaks at 14 and 11, respectively ... Junior lefty Drew D'Ambra struck out a season-high two over his season-high-tying 2.0 innings, with a 1-2-3 fifth ... The six-run third matched the biggest scoring inning against CPP in 2022.