CARSON, Calif. – The Cal Poly Pomona baseball team jumped out to a promising 5-0 lead in the series finale on Monday afternoon, but a six-run fifth inning from Cal State Dominguez Hills proved too much to overcome as the Broncos fell 10-6 at Toro Field. With the loss, the Broncos fall to 8-17 on the season and 5-11 in CCAA play.
 
The Broncos now officially own the toughest strength of schedule in all of Division II, with opponents going 311-136 (.696) so far this season. Despite this, only three of the team's 17 losses have been by four or more runs, meaning their win-loss record is not indicative of just how close their games have been against, quite literally, the toughest opponents in the country.
 
CPP set the tone early, breaking the deadlock in the third inning when Marco Malerba delivered an RBI single to bring Johnny Pappas home for the first run of the game. One inning later, Beau Betten provided the biggest hit of the day, ripping a three-run double into right-center, scoring Clay Porter, Tyler Chaffee, and Brent Cota to extend the lead to 4-0.
 
The offense kept rolling in the fifth, as Cota doubled to right field, driving in Anthony Gibbons to give the Broncos a comfortable 5-0 advantage.
 
However, the momentum shifted in the bottom of the frame, as Dominguez Hills put up a six-run frame on six hits to erase the Broncos' lead. Two more runs in the seventh and back-to-back solo homers in the eighth put the game out of reach.
 
The Broncos managed to chip away in the eighth when Cota came around to score on a wild pitch, but it wasn't enough to spark a comeback.
 
CPP starter Ruben Del Castillo (1-3) was charged with the loss after allowing six earned runs over five innings on 83 pitches. The Broncos' bullpen of Evan Adolphus and Anthony Vasquez combined for three more innings, each allowing two more earned runs to cross the plate.
 
Offensively, Cota had a strong day at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. Malerba and Pappas also contributed multi-hit performances, with Betten delivering the aforementioned bases-clearing double.
 
 
Up Next
The Broncos look to reset with a four-game series at home against Cal State LA this weekend, with first pitch of game one set for 6:00 PM on Friday.
 
 
Bronco Bits

• The Broncos are now 136-94 all-time against Cal State Dominguez Hills, including 6-4 in their past 10 games.
• Randy Betten is now 424-283 (.600) as head coach of the Broncos and 301-203 (.597) in CCAA play.
• The last time the Broncos were 8-17 through their first 25 games was 1986, where they would go on to finish 24-28.
• Betten remains 23 CCAA wins away from tying John Scolinos (324) for the most in program history.
• The Broncos have the toughest strength of schedule in all of NCAA Division II, with their opponents going 311-136 (.696) this season.
• With 25 games played and 49 on the schedule, the team has officially passed the halfway mark of the season.
• Record Watch – The watch is officially on, as Pappas is within 10 runs of breaking the all-time runs scored record with 160. Tom Weeks (1984-87) currently holds the program record at 168.
• CPP Top 10 - Pappas ranks 6^th all-time in games started (184), 8^th in at-bats (692), 9^th in hits (222), 4^th in doubles (47), 8^th in home runs (21), 3^rd in runs scored (160), 3^rd in walks (111), 5^th in hit by pitches (30), 2^nd in putouts (1,109), and 2^nd in fielding percentage (.995).