PHOENIX, ARIZ. ¾ Cal Poly Pomona’s baseball team found the going a little rough against Grand Canyon on Friday afternoon in the opener of a big CCAA series.
The Broncos managed only six hits and a pair of unearned runs and fell to the Antelopes, 5-2, at Grand Canyon’s Brazell Stadium. Brian Ziarnick (Jr., Chino, Fullerton CC) and Andy Gonzales (Fr., Whittier, California HS) drove in the Cal Poly Pomona runs, but the Broncos had trouble getting much going against Grand Canyon starter Josh Blocher. The Broncos (10-6-1, 5-4) lost for the fourth time in their last five games, while Grand Canyon (11-6, 6-2) won its fifth straight conference game.
Tony Ortiz (Sr., Rancho Cucamonga, Mt. SAC) allowed nine hits and five runs in 6 1/3 innings. He took the loss to fall to 1-3.
The Antelopes took a 2-0 lead after single runs in the fourth and sixth innings, but the Broncos got even with a pair of unearned runs in the seventh. Matt Stevens (Fr., Riverside, Rubidoux HS) reached on an error to start the rally and moved to second on a single by Jason Marcus (Sr., San Dimas, Mt. SAC). Ziarnick’s two-out single drove in Stevens and Gonzales followed with a single that drove in Marcus.
Grand Canyon, though, regained the lead in the bottom of the inning. The Antelopes collected three hits in the inning, including a double by Trent Otis that broke the 2-2 tie. Jose Munoz (Jr., Baldwin Park, Rio Hondo JC) relieved Ortiz after the double, but surrendered a sacrifice fly and a run-scoring single before ending the inning.
Cal Poly Pomona returns to action Saturday with a doubleheader against Grand Canyon that will begin at 11 a.m.