POMONA - Chico State put up crooked numbers in the second, third and fourth innings and held on to salvage the finale of a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) baseball series with Cal Poly Pomona, 13-9, at Scolinos Field on Sunday.

The result drops CPP to an even 8-8 overall and 3-4 in the CCAA. Chico State improves to 12-4 overall and 5-2 in league play. The Broncos had won 14-0 on Friday night and rallied late for a 5-3 victory on Saturday to clinch their first CCAA series win of 2022, with yesterday's doubleheader nightcap canceled.

Junior right-hander Scott Armstrong walked his first batter on four pitches, but still faced the minimum in the initial frame on just 10 tosses as he caught Jeffrey Ray's popped-up bunt and doubled off Jack Murphy at first, and then got Willie Lajoie swinging.

Johnny Pappas led off the home first with a five-pitch base on balls, but Braeden Gowdy, himself a junior right-hander, navigated through the frame with a called third strike and two assists.

Back-to-back singles began the second, the latter a Jacob Jablonski bunt. Jarret Lindsay was hit to load the bases, and Zach Morris' double down the left field line on a 1-2 pitch made it 2-0, still with nobody out. An RBI groundout plated Lindsay before Armstrong got out of it.

Chico State put together a four-run rally in the third after Armstrong had registered the first two outs. An infield single and another hit-by-pitch preceded back-to-back home runs, with a three-run shot to left by Lindsay and a solo effort to right by Morris. Both pulled blasts were the first as Wildcats for the transfer duo.

Luke Watson notched CPP's first hit of the afternoon to open the home third. A one-out walk moved him into scoring position, but a double play ended the threat.

Chico State loaded the bases with two gone and scored three more times in the fourth, the big blow an opposite-field, two-run single down the right field line by Lindsay.

The Broncos got doubles by Ricky Nuñez and Cesar Lopez in the fourth, but a lineout double play in between left them still looking for a run. The home side cracked the scoreboard in the fifth, as Tyler Chaffee reached on a wild pitch to lead off despite striking out, stole second, and sprinted home on Pappas' two-out, opposite-field double down the line in right.

CPP put up a five-spot in the seventh, filling the bags with one away ahead of a pinch-hit, RBI single by Chris Aguilar. It marked the first major college hit for the Riverside City College transfer. Carl Lawson walked to force Ryon Knowles in, and Chaffee roped a two-out, bases-clearing double into the gap in left center to close to within 10-6.

Chico State tacked on three more scores in the ninth, which were answered by CPP in the home half. Chaffee provided another RBI double, and true freshman AJ Nimeh added a two-run double, also down the right field line, for his first collegiate extra-base hit.

Armstrong (0-3) threw 3.0 innings and allowed seven runs on seven hits, two hit-by-pitches and one walk, striking out three. Fellow junior right-hander Matt Orozco provided a career-long 3.2 innings of shutout relief, including a perfect seventh.

Chaffee was 2-for-5 with two doubles, two runs and a season-high four RBI. Cesar Lopez went 2-for-3 with a double. Pappas was 1-for-1 with two walks, a double and one RBI. Aguilar and Nimeh each came off the bench to go 2-for-2 with a run, combining for three RBI with Nimeh also walking once. The Broncos put their leadoff man on base in every inning but the second, which was Gowdy's lone 1-2-3 frame.

Gowdy (4-0) gave up one run on four hits, a hit-by-pitch and two walks over a season-long 5.0 frames. He had five strikeouts.

Morris finished 3-for-5 with a double, home run, run scored and season-high four RBI. Lindsay was 2-for-3 with two hit-by-pitches, a home run, two runs and a season-best six RBI. Grady Morgan wound up 4-for-4 with a hit-by-pitch, double and season-high four runs. Jablonski went 2-for-3 with a walk, hit-by-pitch and a season-high four runs of his own. Four of Chico State's season-high six hit batsmen came around to score.

Cal Poly Pomona is back on the road next weekend, heading up to Seaside for four games against Cal State Monterey Bay. The series opener on Friday night, March 11, is set for a 6 p.m. first pitch.

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 328-208 (.612) overall and 229-152 (.601) in CCAA play under 12th-year head coach Randy Betten ... Betten posted the exact same batting order for the third consecutive game, with first-year Bronco Scott Armstrong drawing his fourth mound start ... Ricky Nuñez's fourth-inning double was his third ... Nuñez, one of four Broncos to start all 16 contests, had his home run streak snapped at four games ... Cesar Lopez's fourth-inning double was his sixth ... Tyler Chaffee's fifth-inning stolen base was his third in four tries, with the two doubles his first in the green and gold ... Johnny Pappas' fifth-inning double was his team-best eighth ... CPP totaled a season-high six doubles ... Six more walks increased the Broncos' CCAA-leading total to 108, with CPP having entered Friday sixth nationally ... Chico State leads the all-time series, 65-43 ... Friday night's series opener was the first meeting between these teams in nearly three years, since they had not yet faced off in 2020 when that campaign was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic ... The last matchup before this weekend went to CPP, 17-4, on the second day of the CCAA Tournament in Stockton on May 9, 2019, en route to the Broncos' second tourney banner ... These teams split four-game regular-season sets in both 2018 (Pomona) and 2019 (Chico), and prior to Friday, had split their previous 20 matchups right down the middle, 10-10 ... The last time CPP took the regular-season series was another 2-1 win in Pomona, in 2016 ... The sides have met at least once in the postseason for four straight years (2016-19) ... The Broncos are 21-23 against the Wildcats under Betten (11-11 in Pomona) ... CPP is the preseason favorite in the CCAA, earning six of the 11 first-place votes, with Chico State right behind in second with two first-place nods.