SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – No. 3 seed Cal Poly Pomona opened its postseason run in emphatic fashion Wednesday afternoon, riding a massive first-inning surge and steady offensive production to a 12-6 win over No. 2 seed Cal State San Marcos at Fiscalini Field.
With the victory in the double-elimination CCAA Baseball Tournament, Cal Poly Pomona advances into the winner’s bracket and will face the winner of No. 1 Cal State Monterey Bay vs. No. 5 Cal State San Bernardino at 3 p.m. Thursday. Cal State San Marcos, meanwhile, drops into the elimination bracket and will play the loser of that matchup at 11 a.m. Thursday to keep its tournament hopes alive.
The Broncos wasted no time seizing control, erupting for six runs in the top of the first inning. Austin Duarte sparked the rally with a single, and after a walk and another base hit loaded the bases, Sebastian Arguelles delivered a two-run double. Moments later, Tyler Blade delivered the biggest swing of the game, crushing a grand slam to right-center that turned an early tight situation into a 6-0 lead before San Marcos could settle in.
Cal State San Marcos answered with a run in the bottom of the first, but Cal Poly Pomona quickly reasserted control. Jack Sanders added a solo home run in the second inning, and the Broncos continued to apply pressure throughout the middle frames.
By the third inning, the lead had lifted to 10-1 behind a mix of timely hitting and defensive miscues. Diego Murillo doubled in a run, and Duarte later added a two-run single to extend the advantage. Julian Angulo also joined the power display with a solo home run in the fourth, while Arguelles added a sacrifice fly in the seventh as Pomona kept its foot on the gas.
Arguelles finished with a strong all-around performance, driving in three runs, while Blade’s first-inning grand slam remained the defining moment of the day. Cal Poly Pomona’s lineup produced 18 hits, with nearly every starter contributing to the offensive outburst.
San Marcos showed late fight, scoring two runs in the eighth and three more in the ninth, highlighted by RBI hits from Larson and Helfrick along with a late extra-base hit from Weber. But the rally came too late to erase the early deficit.
Andrew Campbell earned the win for Cal Poly Pomona, working six innings and allowing just one run while keeping San Marcos off balance early. The Broncos’ bullpen held on through late pressure to seal the victory.
With the win, Cal Poly Pomona moves one step closer to the CCAA title game, while Cal State San Marcos faces an immediate elimination scenario in Thursday morning’s matchup.