TOURNAMENT CENTRAL  |  PHOTOS

SEASIDE, Calif. - Cal Poly Pomona struck for four runs in the first and got a season-high four double plays to edge San Francisco State, 8-5, in the opening round of the 2023 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Baseball Tournament on Wednesday evening at top-seeded first-time host Cal State Monterey Bay's Otter Sports Complex.

With a third straight victory, No. 4 seed CPP improves to 27-19 overall. A third successive defeat ends fifth-seeded SF State's 2023 campaign at 27-22. The Broncos had rallied after dropping the first two games to earn a split of the teams' series in San Francisco just two weeks ago as CPP rounded out its regular-season schedule.

Cal Poly Pomona advances on to the four-team, double-elimination portion of the tournament beginning on Thursday, May 11. Sixth-seeded Stanislaus State upset No. 3 seed Cal State East Bay earlier Wednesday, 11-2, so with the reseed, CPP moves up to No. 3 and will next take on second-seeded Cal State San Bernardino (35-15) Thursday at 1 p.m.

It was 1-0 Gators just two pitches in as Sammy Gonzales belted his fifth triple of 2023 into the gap in right center that went all the way to the wall, and scurried home when the throw to third trickled away from Tyler Chaffee. The error was charged to second baseman Darius Price.

After CCAA Most Valuable Pitcher Caleb Reyes issued a seven-pitch walk to the No. 2 batter, the senior right-hander went to 0-2 counts to each of the next three Gators and got a flyout, called third strike and swinging strikeout to settle things down.

The Broncos got right to work in the home half with back-to-back singles by Brent Cota and Trent MacKinney, the latter of the check-swing variety that dropped into shallow right field. Nin Burns II then put down his second successful sacrifice. The SF State shortstop dropped an easy popup by Marco Malerba to load the bases, and Johnny Pappas produced a two-run single through the left side. With two away, Chaffee roped a two-run triple to deep center and suddenly it was a 4-1 lead.

SF State sophomore rightfielder Michael Cunningham got one of those runs right back by opening the second with his team-leading ninth home run of the year to left. The Gators led off the third and fourth frames with singles, but both times, Reyes worked around them with a flyout to left and a tailor-made 6-4-3 double play.

CPP added to its advantage in the fourth as AJ Nimeh dropped an 0-2 pitch just inside the line in left for a one-out double, and Cota followed with his second infield single to the right side to put Broncos at the corners. MacKinney got the safety squeeze down for 5-2.

The fifth began with Gavin Haimovitz's opposite-field double into the gap in right center. The Gator third baseman moved to third on a groundout, and after a four-pitch walk to Gonzales, came home on Daniel Santos' first-pitch single through the left side. Reyes promptly got No. 3 hitter Nick Upstill to foul out to Chaffee, and cleanup man Justin Clark to also pop one up to Chaffee on his very next toss.

SF State got a one-out hit-by-pitch and a single to put runners at the corners in the sixth, but for the third time in the contest, Reyes dialed up an inning-ending twin killing to Nick Lugo, this one of the 6-3 variety.

Lugo produced his second double of 2023 with one away in the home sixth, a first-pitch knock pulled down the right field line. Nimeh's flared single to left center two tosses later restored a three-run lead at 6-3.

Reyes struck out the first two SF State hitters to start the seventh ahead of Santos' third home run of the season off the scoreboard in left as the teams continued to trade single tallies.

Burns II greeted relief pitcher Gary Grosjean with his 11th double to lead off the home seventh, through the left side and all the way to the wall. Pappas drew a five-pitch walk with one gone, and after a groundout advanced both Broncos into scoring position, Chaffee chopped one that the shortstop made a wild throw on, allowing two runs to score as CPP took its largest lead of the day at 8-4. The play was ruled an RBI infield single, with Pappas scoring on the miscue.

Though not a save situation, senior closer Eric Romo entered the game in the ninth. The inning began with a second opposite-field double by Haimovitz and a pinch-hit single to put Gators at the corners for the top of the order. A Gonzales sacrifice fly brought up Santos, who had reached base in each of his first four trips. Romo's 2-1 offering turned into a third 6-4-3 double play out of Lugo, Price and Malerba to end it.

Cal Poly Pomona notched four double plays in a single game for the first time in just over a decade, since a 3-2 seven-inning home win over Cal State East Bay on May 4, 2013.

Reyes (7-2) went 7.0 innings and allowed four runs, three of them earned, on 10 hits and two walks. The first-year transfer from Division III Occidental College struck out six Gators in the 101-pitch effort. Scott Armstrong took over to begin the eighth and registered the Broncos' lone perfect frame through two flyouts around a swinging strikeout.

Chaffee finished 2-for-4 with the triple and three RBI. Pappas was 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs and two RBI. Cota went 3-for-4 with a run and a walk. Nimeh wound up 2-for-4 with a double, run and RBI.

Nathan Shinn (6-4) gave up six runs, four of them earned, on nine hits and one walk over 6.0 frames, reaching double-digit strikeouts for the second time with 10. The sophomore left-hander fanned three around a walk in the second, and turned in the first 1-2-3 inning by either side in the fifth. Shinn had struck out a career-high 11 in 7.0 frames in his winning April 28 start against CPP.

Santos was 3-for-4 with a walk, home run, run and two RBI. Gonzales went 1-for-3 with a walk, triple, run scored and an RBI. Cunningham was 1-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch, home run, run and RBI.

Click HERE for CPP's postgame press conference with head coach Randy Betten, Chaffee and Pappas, and HERE to access CCAA Tournament Central. Tickets for the 2023 CCAA Baseball Tournament are available at GoCCAA.org/Tickets. For fans who cannot attend, all games are streamed live on the CCAA Network at CCAAnetwork.com.

Bronco Bits

• CPP is 382-238 (.616) overall and 21-11 (.656) in its ninth CCAA Tournament appearance under 13th-year head coach Randy Betten.
• CPP is 10-11 away from home in 2023, 1-0 in neutral-site affairs, and 7-10 wearing its gold jerseys.
• Caleb Reyes made his 12th mound appearance and 10th start as a Bronco, allowing multiple runs for just the fourth time (last two in a row, with a season-high 10 hits allowed in each, both against SF State).
• Johnny Pappas started behind the plate for the first time since the first game of the April 22 doubleheader, having then missed four straight contests and come off the bench in the last two.
• Tyler Chaffee's first-inning triple was his first of 2023 and fourth as a Bronco, while AJ Nimeh's fourth-inning double was his third.
• Brent Cota produced his team-high ninth three-hit contest of 2023, extending his current team-best hit streak to six games.
• CPP surpassed its previous season high of three double plays turned, from the April 16 win at Cal State San Marcos.
• In its 12th all-time CCAA Tournament appearance, CPP is 25-17 overall, 1-0 against SF State, 24-14 in neutral-site games, 1-0 at the Otter Sports Complex and an even 10-10 as the No. 4 seed.
• CPP leads 74-41 all-time in this series that dates back to 1972 (5-1 in postseason play with five prior NCAA Championship meetings in 1979 and 1983 in Pomona). The Broncos are 33-14 against the Gators in the Betten era.
• Wednesday marked the first-ever CCAA Tournament and neutral-site matchup between the sides.
• CPP and SF State were No. 5 (up from No. 6) and No. 8, respectively, in Wednesday's official NCAA West Region poll, with six teams again qualifying for the West Regional this year.

2023 CCAA BASEBALL TOURNAMENT
HOSTED BY CAL STATE MONTEREY BAY - SEASIDE, CA

SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY, MAY 10
Game 1 - #6 Stanislaus State 11, #3 Cal State East Bay 2 (Cal State East Bay eliminated)
Game 2 - #4 Cal Poly Pomona 8, #5 San Francisco State 5 (San Francisco State eliminated)

THURSDAY, MAY 11 (after reseed)
Game 3 - #1 Cal State Monterey Bay vs. #4 Stanislaus State, 9:30 a.m.
Game 4 - #2 Cal State San Bernardino vs. #3 Cal Poly Pomona, 1 p.m.
Game 5 - Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Loser, 4:30 p.m. (elimination)

FRIDAY, MAY 12
Game 6 - Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner, Noon
Game 7 - Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser, 3:30 p.m. (elimination)

SATURDAY, MAY 13
Game 8 - Game 6 Winner vs. Game 7 Winner, Noon
Game 9 - If necessary, 30 minutes after

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.'

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