By Christian Magdaleno, Feb. 18, 2025
Cal Poly Pomona’s baseball team demonstrated their offensive ability with four runs and seven hits in game two against the No. 10 Colorado Mesa Mavericks, despite losing two of the three-game series at Scolinos Field Feb. 6-8.
“I am pleased where we are at on the mound and where we are at offensively,” said Broncos head coach Randy Betten. “Defensively, in the infield, I think we need to take care of the ball a little better and I think if we clean that up, boy, you’re going to have a tough time scoring on us. We pitch and defend well, and we’re getting quality at-bats throughout the lineup.”
First baseman Julian Angulo burst the third game of the series open with a two-run home run to bring in designated hitter Marco Malerba and put the Broncos up 2-0. Angulo leads the conference with 13 hits and is a top 10 player in six CCAA leaderboards.
The Mavericks responded with a home run in the first at-bat during the second inning and quickly followed it with a sacrifice fly to bring in another run to tie the Broncos 2-2.
The Broncos didn’t let the score simmer for long before catcher Johnny Pappas hit a groundout to second base, sacrificing him and third baseman Gage Gonzales, to bring in centerfielder Dominic Porter 3-2.
While both teams remained competitive, the third inning remained scoreless.
The Mavericks took advantage of the silent at-bats from the Broncos and brought in 2 runs in the top of the fourth 4-3.
Porter attempted to put himself in scoring position for the Broncos when he tried to steal second base but was caught by the pitcher, leaving the Broncos unable to tie the score.
The Mavericks stayed hot in the fifth inning, notching another homer and two more hits.
Despite being down 5-3 in the sixth inning, the Broncos continued to remain competitive against the rival team.
Left-fielder Anthony Gibbons launched a solo home run out past left field to give the Broncos a chance 5-4.
Right-handed pitcher Evan Adolphus defended the Broncos on the mound through four innings, relieving starting pitcher Ruben Del Castillo in the fifth.
Adolphus threw three consecutive scoreless innings before giving up a home run to the Mavericks in the top of the eighth inning.
After the big hit, Adolphus took a moment to remind his teammates to maintain their composure and detailed the importance of doing that.
“I don’t want the other team to think they got us,” said Adolphus. “So, I’m like, ‘Come on defense. Next pitch. Lock in.’ Like, I have a quote on my hat. It’s ‘today’s a new day,’ and I feel like that applies on the field.”
Betten spoke on what it is like to have Adolphus coming in as a team captain in these big moments and said he is excited to see what the future holds.
“He is always prepared mentally and physically,” said Betten. “He takes great pride in his craft, and he works extremely hard to prepare himself each week for when he gets the opportunity to compete.”
Although the Broncos lost the opening game 4-2, they sparked a late-game rally scoring two runs in the final innings, which carried into game two against the Mavericks.
The Broncos capitalized off two errors in the bottom of the second inning by the Mavericks in the second game, which allowed them to bring in 3 runs, all without recording a single hit.
The Mavericks pitcher Liam Hohenstein walked second baseman Sebastian Arguelles and hit catcher Gibbons with a pitch to the helmet, allowing left-fielder Brent Cota to put the Arguelles in scoring position when he hit a fly-out to center field.
Porter made it onto first base off an error by the pitcher, giving Arguelles the opportunity to collect the first run of the game.
Shortstop Beau Betten made his visit to the batter’s box with Gibbons at second base and Porter at first, but it was short-lived as he popped out to collect the second out for the Broncos.
Gibbons and Porter advanced another base off a wild pitch while Gonzales was at bat.
The Mavericks continued to struggle on the mound as he walked Gonzales and failed on a pick-off attempt that sent the ball rolling down the first-base line, allowing Gibbons and Porter to tally up two more runs for the Broncos 3-0.
Leadoff batter and right-fielder/catcher Pappas closed out the inning with a flyout to right-field.
The rest of the game remained scoreless for the Broncos, but the pitching shined with a dominant outing over the Mavericks.
Freshman starter and right-handed pitcher Anthony Cosme struck out six Mavericks and only gave up one earned run and five hits in his 4.2 innings pitched.
Cosme handed the ball over to the bullpen, who threw a combined 4.1 scoreless innings, earning right-handed pitcher Chris Fields, his first win of the season, and right-handed pitcher Aren Alvarez, his first save of the season.
The Broncos collected five hits throughout the game to match the Mavericks’ offense.
The Broncos even out their record at 3-3 following the matchup against the Mavericks but return home to face CSU Monterey Bay Feb. 21-23.
The Broncos came in at No. 2 in the CCAA baseball preseason coaches’ poll at 106 points, while Monterey Bay came out on top with 119 points.
Featured images courtesy of Christian Magdaleno
