Cal Poly Pomona Opens West Regional Play with a Win over Otters
Originally posted on broncoathletics.com |
box score |
CPP postgame |
CSUMB postgame
AZUSA, Calif. - Nick Peifer went 4-for-5 with three RBI, Brennan McKenzie also went 4-for-5 with a double, home run and two RBI, and both Angel Ortiz and Patrick Flynn also hit home runs as Tim Holdgrafer went seven strong innings on the mound, leading Cal Poly Pomona to a convincing 11-6 victory over Cal State Monterey Bay Thursday to open the 2019 NCAA Division II Baseball Championship Tournament at the Cougar Baseball Complex in Azusa.
The No. 5 seed Broncos (30-26) will now take on host and No. 1 seed Azusa Pacific on Friday at 3:30 pm after APU takes on the No. 4 seed Otters (35-22) on Friday at 12:00 pm.
In a rematch of the CCAA Tournament championship game from five days ago in Stockton, it was CPP to draw first blood thanks to Ortiz's two-run home run to left field in the top of the second inning. Peifer brought home two more runs in the top of the fourth inning on a RBI single to make it 4-0 before the Otters scored three runs over the next two innings to come within a run a 4-3 through five complete innings of play.
The Broncos broke the flood gates wide open in the sixth by scoring six runs by way of RBI singles by Peifer, Patrick Vizcaino and McKenzie before Flynn delivered the dagger, a three-run shot to left field to put Cal Poly Pomona up 10-3.
The Otters would plate a run in the seventh, but the Broncos got that run right back in the ninth with a solo shot from McKenzie. CSUMB put together a late rally with two runs in the bottom of the ninth, but it wouldn't be enough.
The first 10 runs scored by CPP in the ballgame all came with two outs in the innings in which they were scored, and all nine Broncos in the lineup touched home plate at least once. In the end, CPP outhit CSUMB 15-11.
Holdgrafer improved to 10-4 on the year, allowing four runs on eight hits, striking out three in his seven innings of work. Chris Burnette came on and pitched the final two innings for the Broncos, giving up two runs on three hits, striking out one.