By Luis Azuara, Apr. 19,2022
The Broncos shined against Stanislaus State, winning three out of four games in a series held at Stan State’s Warrior field. After a tough loss on Saturday, the Broncos improved their conference record to 17-10 and 22-15 overall.
The Broncos entered their Thursday night game against Stanislaus State on a four-game winning streak. Scoring nine unanswered points, the Broncos picked up a win to start the series.
The Broncos took an early lead in the first inning. With the bases loaded, reigning CCAA Player of the Week Ryon Knowles bounced out to second base to drive in catcher Johnny Pappas with the first run of the series.
After a shutout inning by the starting pitcher Will Rudy, Pappas hit a three-run home run to give the Broncos a 4-0 lead.
The Broncos were able to add to the lead in the sixth inning with the help from infielder Tyler Chaffee, infielder and outfielder AJ Nimeh, infielder Casey Slattery, outfielder Cesar Lopez and Pappas to extend their lead to 7-0.
Rudy gave up his no-hitter in the sixth inning with a hit to left field. He finished the game with 8.0 scoreless innings allowing just two hits and a walk, striking out three and picking up his fifth win of the season.
“Our team is finally finding our stride,” said Knowles. “We are understanding what we do well and playing to our strengths.”
The Broncos finished the game with a 9-0 win, improving their record to 20-14 overall. Following Thursday’s win, the Broncos swept the doubleheader on Friday to improve their record to 22-14.
In game one on Friday, starting pitcher Noel Soto provided the Broncos with another strong performance and a win. With a home run by Pappas and a few RBIs, the Broncos were able to win game one 8-1.
“Ever since I came to Pomona, defense has been my main priority,” said Pappas. “If I’m able to call a quality game, manage the running game and make our pitching staff better, then I know I’m doing my job. On offense, it’s great to be a force in our lineup. Being able to make our offense better as a group is awesome, and to see some balls leave the yard this weekend was great.”
Pappas had a huge impact on offense and defense. He hit his third home run of the year and his seventh thrown out player this season.
The Broncos entered the seventh inning of game two of the doubleheader down 4-3. Trailing by one point, outfielder Ricky Nuñez hit a go-ahead two run double to take the lead. After a tough fought game, the Broncos fell short in game two with a 3-1 loss.
With only 12 games left to the season, the Broncos made a big statement this weekend by winning their fourth CCAA series.
“The team is starting to rally around our pitching staff,” said head coach Randy Betten. “Everything is coming together right now toward the end of the year which is good because you want to be playing your best toward the end.”
The Broncos return to action April 22 against Cal State San Marcos.
Featured image by Daniel Tapia.
