SAN MARCOS, Calif. - Caleb Reyes put up five zeros early and after one mistake, Marco Malerba picked him up with a three-run home run in the seventh as Cal Poly Pomona rallied past Cal State San Marcos, 4-2, in the opener of a four-game California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) series on Friday afternoon at the CSUSM Baseball Field.

A fourth straight victory improves CPP to 22-12 overall and 14-10 in the CCAA. CSUSM falls to 11-19 overall and 5-15 in league play with a third successive defeat.

The Broncos managed a two-out hit in each of the first two frames, but could not turn either knock into the day's first score. Reyes then got a called third strike to duck around a two-out double in the home second. The hosts dealt with a walk to lead off the third.

The visitors finally struck for the game's opening run in the fourth when Nin Burns II led off with a double, advanced to third on a groundout, and scored as Darius Price beat out a first-pitch, two-out infield single to the opposite field on the right side.

Reyes dialed up the shutdown home fourth despite a one-out double and two-out hit-by-pitch. Back-to-back one-out singles in the fifth from Trent MacKinney and Johnny Pappas preceded a pair of flyouts to right to end that CPP threat.

Reyes allowed a leadoff base-runner for the first time in the sixth, and that actually turned into back-to-back singles for the Cougars ahead of a Nick Schnopp sacrifice bunt back to the CPP pitcher. Ethan Rivera dribbled a two-run single up the middle to give CSUSM a 2-1 edge.

That lead was short-lived. With two gone in the seventh, Pappas and Burns II each drew a walk from reliever Thomas Babineau (0-1). Malerba then fouled off the first pitch he saw, swung and missed the next, and belted the 0-2 offering to the right of the batter's eye in center for a big three-run blast that regained a 4-2 advantage for CPP. It was the junior first baseman's fourth long ball of 2023, the second of the three-run variety, and increases his team-best RBI total to 27.

Reyes came right back out and turned in a 1-2-3 seventh through a pair of flyouts and a strikeout. Fellow senior right-hander Scott Armstrong took over for the eighth and needed only six tosses to get a flyout, foulout and infield popout out of the heart of the CSUSM order.

Armstrong gave up a double to Rivera to lead off the ninth but quickly over five more pitches got two groundouts and a bunt popout back to himself to register his second save for a share of the team lead.

Reyes (5-1) went 7.0 innings and allowed two runs on six hits and no walks while striking out six. The first-year Occidental transfer started a series opener for the first time as a Bronco. Reyes needed 14 pitches to turn in a perfect initial frame on two groundouts around a punch-out, and registered two more strikeouts and a groundout for a 1-2-3 fifth.

Price finished 2-for-3 with a double, two walks and an RBI. Pappas was 3-for-4 with a walk and a run. Burns II went 1-for-4 with a double, walk and two runs. Malerba wound up 1-for-5 with the three-run shot.

Six of CPP's eight walks in the contest came from the bottom three hitters in its order. AJ Nimeh drew a career- and game-high three of them, the first three on the year for the true sophomore rightfielder.

For CSUSM, Conner Gleissner gave up one run on six hits and four walks over a career-high-tying 6.0 frames. The redshirt sophomore left-hander fanned three.

The Broncos and Cougars continue their weekend series with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 15, beginning at 12 p.m.
 
Bronco Bits

• Cal Poly Pomona is 377-231 (.620) overall and 267-170 (.611) in CCAA play under 13th-year head coach Randy Betten.
• CPP is 6-7 on the road in 2023, and 6-1 wearing its grey jerseys.
• Caleb Reyes made his ninth mound appearance and seventh start in the green and gold, surrendering multiple runs for only the second time.
• AJ Nimeh earned his sixth start of 2023 and fourth in right field (second straight).
• Darius Price's second-inning double was his second.
• The double by Nin Burns II to lead off the fourth was his 10th, tying him for the team lead.
• Friday marked Marco Malerba's sixth three-RBI effort of the season.
• The game was played in a tidy two hours and 24 minutes.
• The Broncos are 19-2 against CSUSM in the all-time series that started in 2016, including 7-2 in San Marcos, with eight straight wins overall.
• CPP was receiving votes outside of the top 30 of Monday's latest Collegiate Baseball Division II poll.

 
All home games and most away contests will stream live online via the CCAA Network at www.ccaanetwork.com. You 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. For $9.95 per month, subscribers will have access to all CCAA broadcasts, both live and on-demand, for one low monthly price. Over half of each monthly subscription purchase will go directly back to the CCAA Athletic Department of your choice to support the student-athlete experience. Sign-ups are available right now at each universities' network portal. Just go to CCAAnetwork.com, select your favorite team at the top and the 'click to subscribe.'

CPP Athletics has gone cashless! Tickets are on sale now for all CPP baseball home games. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets online prior to coming to campus at broncoathletics.com/tickets or by downloading the HomeTown Fan app on your smartphone or tablet. New this year, only debit and credit cards will be accepted at the box office for admission. Limited concession items will be on sale on-site as well, and the concession stand will also only accept debit and credit cards.

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