The CPP baseball team headed north last week to take on the Sonoma State Seawolves in a four-game series, dropping three of the four games.
On Saturday, the Seawolves took game one after a walk-off home run in the 11th inning. However, the Broncos were able to redeem themselves in game two with a 9-4 victory.
After three scoreless innings in game one, the Broncos managed to add three runs to the scoreboard in the top of the fourth.
Sophomore center fielder Cesar Lopez drove in the first run when he singled to right field, bringing home senior left fielder Nic Hernandez from second.
Junior shortstop Matt Manskar then singled to right field, bringing in junior designated hitter Christian Moya from third.
Senior catcher Logan Gopperton brought in the final run of the inning with another single, allowing Lopez to score the third run.
The Broncos scored again in the sixth inning when senior right fielder Patrick Flynn singled through the left side and Lopez made his way home from second.
Senior right-handed pitcher Tim Holdgrafer pitched seven scoreless innings for the Broncos, but was relieved in the eighth inning by sophomore righty Chris Burnette.
The Seawolves’ bats came alive in the eighth with four hits and two runs, but the Broncos still led 4-2.
In the top of the ninth inning, senior third baseman Angel Ortiz doubled to left field which brought in Manskar.
Senior righty Anthony Mizrahi came out of the bullpen to pitch the ninth, but after giving up three more runs to tie the score, the Broncos turned to freshman righty Drew Atherton to finish out the remainder of the game.
“[Holdgrafer] did great; he just went out there, did his job and kept us in the lead,” head coach Randy Betten said. “The eighth and ninth innings we created, whether it be a walk or a hit-by-pitch, we allowed [the Seawolves] to get back in the game. We just did not execute the pitches late in the game.”
With the game tied 5-5 after nine, the Broncos and the Seawolves headed to extra innings. Both teams were able to keep runs off the board in the 10th, but in the bottom of the 11th inning, Seawolves’ pinch hitter Joshua Medina launched a rocket over the left-field fence for a walk-off home run, ending the game with a 6-5 victory.
After the tough loss in game one, the Broncos regrouped and were able to win game two and split the double-header.
In the third inning, the Broncos took a 2-0 lead when Hernandez doubled to right center with two on, scoring junior first baseman Brennan McKenzie and senior catcher Alex Kline.
The runs continued to roll in for the Broncos in the fifth inning, when they scored a total of five runs against the Seawolves.
Ryon Knowles scored on an error by the Seawolves’ first baseman. Then Lopez scored after sophomore shortstop Drew Cowley reached on a catcher’s interference.
Freshman left fielder Dante Palacio followed with a sacrifice fly to center field, bringing in Manskar from third.
Ortiz then stepped up to the plate with Cowley on base and blasted a two-run home run to left field for a 7-0 lead.
“I wasn’t trying to hit a home run at all, I was just trying to drive the ball into a gap,” Ortiz said. “Luckily, this pitcher missed his spot and I was ready to hit and I just got a hold of one. I felt like I was doing well yesterday, so it was cool to top it off with that.”
In the bottom of the third, the Seawolves were able to muster up three runs, making the score 7-3.
The Broncos scored their final two runs of the game in the top of the sixth when Lopez singled, bringing in Hernandez. Then Lopez was able to score on a passed ball. The Seawolves put one more run on the board in the seventh, but the Broncos’ pitchers held them scoreless for the remainder of the inning for a 9-4 win.
Senior right-handed pitcher Dylan Francis started in game two and pitched five innings, allowing two hits, three runs, and striking out five.
“I think after struggling the last couple of weeks it was nice to come out and have five pretty solid innings,” Francis said. “I was able to locate all my pitches and it was nice to have the defense behind me making some good plays. Having them behind me gave me more confidence to throw strikes.”
Senior righty Ben Mora finished out the game, giving up one run and striking out one.
The Broncos and Seawolves battled it out in another double-header on Sunday.
The Seawolves took both games on Sunday 7-4 and 9-5 to take the series from the Broncos 1-3.
In the last 10 games the Broncos have gone 2-8, losing their last three series.
The Broncos will be back on Scolinos Field this week as they take on the Cal State East Bay Pioneers. The first game of the four-game series will kick off Friday at 6 p.m.
