CHICO, Calif. – A late ninth-inning rally came up just short for Cal Poly Pomona, as the Broncos fell 4-3 to No. 20 Chico State in a tightly contested CCAA matchup Friday night at Nettleton Stadium. With the loss, the Broncos fall to 6-8 on the season and 3-2 in CCAA play, with 11 of their 14 games being against nationally-ranked opponents.
 
Down 4-1 heading into the final frame, the Broncos made things interesting with their backs against the wall, loading the bases and pushing across two runs before the Wildcats managed to escape with the win. Julian Angulo was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to bring home Johnny Pappas, and Anthony Gibbons followed with a walk to plate Brent Cota, cutting the deficit to one. But with the tying run just 90 feet away, Chico State closer Ryan Silvers shut the door with a strikeout to pick up his second save of the season.
 
Cal Poly Pomona was held in check for much of the game by Chico State starter Marco Ibarra (2-0), who tossed eight strong innings, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out seven. After Marco Malerba singled in the top of the fourth inning, Chico's starter retired the next 15 consecutive batters in order. The Broncos' lone run against Ibarra came in the third when Pappas singled to left to bring home Beau Betten, tying the game at 1-1.
 
However, the Wildcats answered quickly in the bottom of the inning, capitalizing on a throwing error and a wild pitch to plate two unearned runs and take a 3-1 lead. Despite a strong outing from Broncos' starter Anthony Cosme (0-2), who allowed just one earned run across seven innings while striking out six, the defensive miscues proved costly.
 
Chico State tacked on what turned out to be the decisive run in the eighth on a fielder's choice. That run loomed large as Cal Poly Pomona mounted its last-ditch rally in the ninth, nearly completing the comeback before falling just short. Offensively, the Broncos managed just four hits on the night, with Betten, Pappas, Cota, and Malerba each recording one. Betten also added the team's only extra-base hit, a double to right field in the third inning.
 
On the mound, Cosme's strong outing was backed up by Colt Tucker, who worked the eighth inning, allowing his first earned run of the season on one hit.
 
 
Up Next
Cal Poly Pomona will look to bounce back in the series as they continue their road trip against Chico State on Saturday. First pitch of the doubleheader is set for 1 PM as the Broncos aim to even the series.

 
Bronco Bits

• The Broncos are now 45-71 (.388) all-time against Chico State, including 3-7 in their past 10 games.
• Randy Betten is now 422-274 (.606) as head coach of the Broncos and 299-194 (.606) in CCAA play.
• Betten is 25 CCAA wins away from tying John Scolinos (324) for the most in program history.
• The last time the Broncos were 6-8 through their first 14 games was 1991. The last time they had a losing record through 14 games was 2008.
• Friday's game time of 1 hour and 54 minutes is the third-fastest nine-inning game during Betten's tenure as head coach. The fastest nine inning game came against Stanislaus State on April 22, 2023 in a game that lasted just 1 hour and 46 minutes.
• Record Watch - Pappas stands alone at third in runs scored in school history with 151. Tom Weeks (1984-87) currently holds the program record at 168.