POMONA, Calif. – The Cal Poly Pomona baseball team dropped both games of the doubleheader on Saturday at Scolinos Field, falling to 13-31 overall on the season. Before the game, the team had members of the 1976 national championship throw out the ceremonial first pitch.


 
 
Game 1: CPP 12, SSU 14
In a wild game on Saturday afternoon at Scolinos Field, Cal Poly Pomona showed resilience, but ultimately fell to Sonoma State, 14-12, in a game filled with momentum swings.
 
After falling behind 9-0 in just the second inning, the Broncos clawed their way back into the game in the middle innings. Sebastian Arguelles sparked a fourth-inning rally with a two-run single, and Beau Betten delivered the big blow, ripping a bases-clearing double down the left field line to cut the deficit to just 9-7.
 
The Green & Gold kept the pressure on, erupting again in the seventh inning. Tyler Chaffee's two-run double to left center gave the Broncos a 10-9 lead, and moments later, the Broncos added on another thanks to a wild pitch.
 
Betten, who finished with four RBI, gave CPP a 12-10 lead in the eighth with a solo shot to left field. However, the bullpen couldn't hold down the Seawolves in the ninth. Sonoma State rallied for four runs, thanks to four hits and an error to retake the lead.
 
Despite an 18-hit performance—including four-hit days from Marco Malerba and Clay Porter—the Broncos couldn't muster another comeback in the bottom of the ninth. Colt Tucker (0-3) took the loss in relief, while starting pitcher Tyler Reiter threw 7.0 innings and 109 pitches.
 
 
Game 2: CPP 2, SSU 6
Cal Poly Pomona jumped out to an early lead in game two of the doubleheader, but couldn't hold off Sonoma State, falling 6-2.
 
The Broncos struck in the bottom of the first inning. After a pair of early baserunners, Brent Cota reached on a fielder's choice, driving in a run, and a Sonoma State error allowed a second run to cross. Johnny Pappas and Beau Betten each scored as CPP grabbed a quick 2-0 lead. Unfortunately for CPP, that would be the end of their offensive production as they would finish with just four hits in the nightcap.
 
Starter Anthony Vasquez battled through five innings, but the Seawolves were able to score five runs. Sonoma tied it up in the second inning and pulled ahead in the fourth with an RBI double. Another two-run double in the fifth widened the gap, and Sonoma State added insurance runs late to seal the win.
 
Offensively, Betten led the way with a two-hit night, while Cota added a double and an RBI. The Broncos struggled to capitalize, recording just four hits against Sonoma's Michael Panichi, who struck out ten in a complete-game effort.
 
 
Up Next
The Broncos will have an eventful Sunday, facing Sonoma State in the Seawolves' final game in program history. Before the game, CPP will also honor its seniors, as well as have University President Soraya Coley throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
 
 
Bronco Bits

• The Broncos are now 51-58 all-time against Sonoma State, including 4-6 in their past 10 games.
• Randy Betten is now 429-297 (.591) as head coach of the Broncos and 306-217 (.585) in CCAA play.
• Betten remains 18 CCAA wins away from tying John Scolinos (324) for the most in program history.
• The Broncos have the third-toughest strength of schedule in all of NCAA Division II, with their opponents going 859-571 (.601) entering the weekend.
• Johnny Pappas extended his hitting streak to 16 straight games on Saturday, the longest of any Bronco since Ryon Knowles in 2022 (22 games). With a hit on Sunday, Pappas will move into the Top 10 longest hitting streaks in program history. The longest was Larry Beardman with 31 in 1983.