SEASIDE, Calif. - Despite belting a season-high five home runs and leading 9-2 in the sixth and 12-8 in the ninth, Cal Poly Pomona saw its season ended in a heartbreaker by ninth-ranked host Cal State Monterey Bay, 13-12, at the 2023 NCAA Division II Baseball Championship West Regional #1 at the Otter Sports Complex on Saturday.

Top-seeded CSUMB had also taken the opener of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) rivals' best-of-three series on Friday, 8-2, after both sides had defeated No. 4 seed Point Loma on Thursday to eliminate the 2022 national runner-up.

Fifth-seeded at-large NCAA qualifier CPP's campaign concludes at 29-23. A fourth straight victory improves CCAA regular-season and tournament champion and automatic entrant CSUMB to 39-16 overall and 24-7 at home. The 39 wins equal a single-season program record.

The contest had remarkable ebbs and flows from the outset. The first four Otters reached base without an out being recorded, suggesting a big and potentially insurmountable first frame, but Bronco starter Rhys Stevens kept it to just two runs. Then seemingly in the blink of an eye, CPP hammered five home runs over four innings to take a 9-2 lead in the sixth. The Otters struck back for six unanswered runs in the sixth and eighth to close to within one at 9-8, only for the Broncos to answer with three in the top of the ninth. There was one more dramatic turn on tap, however, as a bases-loaded, one-out walk capped a five-run rally.

Had the Broncos seen out the result, they would have forced a winner-take-all third meeting about an hour after the conclusion. As it stands, Cal State Monterey Bay will remain in Seaside to host second-seeded CCAA foe Cal State San Bernardino (41-17) in the best-of-three NCAA Division II West Super Regional next Friday and Saturday, May 26-27. The Yotes saw off third-seeded Azusa Pacific without needing the if-necessary affair earlier Saturday at home, by the final score of 11-2.

The home team Saturday after serving as the visitor on Friday, CSUMB got a 13-pitch, 1-2-3 initial frame from southpaw starter Mitchell Torres, and needed just six tosses to load the bases on three successive singles to begin the bottom half. Cleanup man Drew Williams was then plunked to force in the game's first run. Stevens, a fourth-year junior right-hander, was able to limit the damage from there, the Broncos cutting down the lead runner at the plate on a fielder's choice ground ball ahead of a Cole Murchison sacrifice fly and an inning-ending popout.

First-year Bronco second baseman Darius Price, back from a slight injury that kept him from starting the first two games of the regional, halved the deficit to begin the third by knocking his sixth home run of 2023 just to the right of straightaway center.

Cal Poly Pomona used the long ball again to grab its first lead over CSUMB of the sub-regional. Marco Malerba worked a seven-pitch walk for starters, before Johnny Pappas smacked a go-ahead two-run home run to left, his fourth on the year. The Broncos weren't done for the frame, as three batters later, Nick Lugo went deep to right for his first in the green and gold, just a second extra-base hit in 2023 for the shortstop.

A lengthy home fourth featured some controversy after a leadoff Kyle Guerra double and a one-out walk. Back-to-back CCAA Most Valuable Player Brady Miguel sent a liner toward the gap in left center that leftfielder Brent Cota appeared to make a tough grab on, but the umpire nearest the play called it a no-catch, with Guerra trotting home. CPP head coach Randy Betten was ejected while disputing the decision, before the officials got together and reversed the call. Stevens then got CCAA batting champ Nico Hartojo to fly out, maintaining the 4-2 edge.

CPP proceeded to load the bases in the fifth on one-out singles by AJ Nimeh and Nin Burns II and a two-out walk to Pappas, but Torres came back to notch a huge swinging strikeout of Tyler Chaffee.

With one gone in the sixth, Lugo struck out but made it to first base on a wild pitch. He advanced to second on another wild toss by Torres, before Price left the building a second time, again to left, for a 6-2 bulge. Cota then singled to force the day's first pitching change, advanced to second on a passed ball, and raced around to score as second baseman Williams booted AJ Nimeh's grounder. Following a flyout, Malerba greeted the new arm by pulling a no-doubter over the wall in right for his seventh.

The Otters pulled two runs back in the home half via two-out rally before Stevens could finally shut the door by getting Hartojo to fly out with Miguel at second. Bronco closer Eric Romo took over in the seventh, and after CSUMB again got two two-out knocks, put up a zero through a first-pitch Guerra flyout that stranded runners at the corners.

The hosts would get to Romo in the eighth, however, to the tune of two home runs and four runs to make it a ballgame again. For the third straight frame, CPP registered the first two outs without issue before running into trouble. Williams hit his team-best 13th, a three-run no-doubter to right, after Miguel drew a sixth-pitch walk and Hartojo singled on successive Romo offerings. Following a second Bronco pitching change, JJ Engman went back-to-back with his sixth to left to make it a one-run contest at 9-8.

CPP was able to answer in its half of the ninth regain a more comfortable cushion. The Broncos filled the bags with no outs on a Burns II single and walks to Malerba and Pappas. Chaffee's third sacrifice fly made it 10-8. Another walk reloaded the bases and preceded an RBI single from Lugo and a sacrifice fly by Price.

The final sequence began with a Dominic Felice double. A right-sided groundout and infield single scored Felice. Moments later, Hartojo's bases-loaded single made it 12-10, and Williams followed with a game-tying two-run ground-rule double to left. Still with just one out, Engman was walked intentionally to set up a force at each base, but Murchison coaxed a five-pitch base on balls to send the Broncos home.

Stevens went 6.0 innings and allowed four runs on eight hits and two walks, striking out two. His first strikeout came on Hartojo with Otters at the corners to end the second. Stevens dodged a leadoff single in the third with help from Cota, who made a stellar catch diving toward the foul line for the second out. His lone perfect frame was the fifth.

Price finished 2-for-5 with his first two-home-run game as a Bronco, two runs, and a season-high-tying four RBI. Malerba was 1-for-3 with a home run, two walks, three runs and two RBI. Pappas went 1-for-3 with a home run, two walks, two runs and two RBI. Lugo wound up 2-for-5 with a home run, two runs and two RBI. Burns II went 2-for-5 with a run and two more stolen bases. Scott Armstrong (4-2) took the loss.

The five home runs are a mark the Broncos have achieved just two other times in program history, with seven the standard at former CCAA rival UC Davis on March 10, 2001. CPP had most recently produced four long balls at Azusa Pacific's hitter-friendly park almost a decade ago on April 29, 2014, in a 10-6 victory, and had not gotten to even four home runs in a contest since then. The Broncos finished Saturday's game with 11 hits from six singles and the five blasts.

For CSUMB, Torres gave up seven runs, the last of them unearned, on eight hits and two walks over 5.1 frames. The sophomore and first-year transfer struck out six. Torres dialed up a first-pitch 6-4-3 double play and a second strikeout to clean up a leadoff single in a shutdown second.

Christian McInerney (2-0) was the pitcher of record at the end. As one of three Otters with three hits, Williams finished 3-for-5 with a double, home run, run and season-high six RBI as the CCAA leader (73).

Saturday marked the likely end of the college careers of at least eight standout Broncos who were recognized on Senior Day at Scolinos Field back on April 23, in Romo, Drew D'Ambra, Elias Jauregui, Trent MacKinney, Matt Orozco, Dante Palacio, Noel Soto and Zuko Tillman.

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Bronco Bits

• CPP is 384-242 (.613) overall and 19-17 (.528) after its eighth NCAA Championship trip under 13th-year head coach Randy Betten.
• CPP finished 12-15 away from home in 2023, 9-13 in true road dates, 11-7 in one-run games, and 6-4 wearing its grey jerseys.
• Rhys Stevens drew his team-leading 13th start on the mound (13th appearance of 2023).
• Nin Burns II was in the leadoff spot for the 10th time this season, and the first since the March 12 series finale versus CSUMB.
• With his two ninth-inning thefts, Burns II wound up a perfect 20-for-20 in stolen base attempts, ranking second in the CCAA, with four two-steal efforts.
• Marco Malerba and Darius Price end up tied for the team home run lead at seven apiece.
• CPP's previous single-game high for 2023 was three home runs, in a 15-2 seven-inning romp at Cal State East Bay on March 4.
• Brent Cota's sixth-inning single extended his current team-best reached-base streak to 12 games.
• Following its 15th all-time NCAA Championship, CPP is 51-32 overall, 30-23 in West Regional action, 4-11 in true road dates, 2-2 against CSUMB, and 1-2 at the Otter Sports Complex.
• CPP still leads 40-34 all-time in this series that dates back to 2006, with wins in four of the last seven meetings, including a three-games-to-one victory in this year's regular-season set in Pomona back in March.
• The Broncos are 11-22 against the Otters in Seaside, 6-3 in postseason play, and 29-25 in the Betten era (9-16 in Seaside).
• All 12 of Betten's on-the-field seasons have ended with winning records, with eight NCAA berths in the last 11 opportunities.

2023 NCAA BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP - WEST REGIONAL #1
HOSTED BY CAL STATE MONTEREY BAY - SEASIDE, CA

SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, MAY 18
Game 1 - #5 Cal Poly Pomona 5, #4 Point Loma 4
Game 2 - #1 Cal State Monterey Bay 11, #4 Point Loma 8 (Point Loma eliminated)

FRIDAY, MAY 19
Game 3 - #1 Cal State Monterey Bay 8, #5 Cal Poly Pomona 2

SATURDAY, MAY 20
Game 4 - #1 Cal State Monterey Bay 13, #5 Cal Poly Pomona 12 (Cal Poly Pomona eliminated)

2023 NCAA BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP - WEST REGIONAL #2
HOSTED BY CAL STATE SAN BERNARDINO - SAN BERNARDINO, CA

SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, MAY 18
Game 1 - #3 Azusa Pacific 12, #6 Western Oregon 8
Game 2 - #2 Cal State San Bernardino 8, #6 Western Oregon 7 (Western Oregon eliminated)

FRIDAY, MAY 19
Game 3 - #2 Cal State San Bernardino 10, #3 Azusa Pacific 9

SATURDAY, MAY 20
Game 4 - #2 Cal State San Bernardino 11, #3 Azusa Pacific 2 (Azusa Pacific eliminated)

2023 NCAA BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP - WEST SUPER REGIONAL
HOSTED BY CAL STATE MONTEREY BAY - SEASIDE, CA - MAY 26-27
#1 Cal State Monterey Bay vs. #2 Cal State San Bernardino (best-of-three series)

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