By Ron Smith
February 15, 2024
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) Westmont Baseball (4-3-1) ran into #24 Cal Poly Pomona (4-1) on Thursday at Russ Carr Field and lost to the Broncos by a score of 12-2. Today's contest was the first of a four-game series that will continue Friday with a single game at 2:00 p.m. and a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 11:00 a.m.
 
The Broncos jumped into the Division II national rankings this week after taking three out of four from Azusa Pacific last weekend.
 
Cal Poly got on the board early, posting four runs in the first inning against Westmont freshman starter Cam Staton. The Warriors looked poised to make a run of it in the bottom of the first inning when they got two solo blasts to center field.
 
Daniel Patterson led off the inning and deposited a 1-0 count over the centerfield fence, just to the left of the 35-foot batter's eye. It was his third home run of the year. One out later, Bryce McFeely connected with a 3-2 pitch and hit the batter's eye for his fourth home run of the season.
 
Unfortunately for the Warriors, those were the only two runs they would score in the game. The Broncos would add eight more to the run's column over the next six innings.
 
Staton, who fell to 1-0 on the year, gave way to freshman Josh Hickey with two away in the first. The left-hander got the final out of the inning without allowing any more damage and then pitched a scoreless second. Hickey pitched into the third, where he gave up a double and a run before being relieved by Evan Johnson, a junior community college transfer.
 
Johnson, also a left-hander, gave the Warriors four and two-thirds innings of work, allowing seven runs on seven hits.
 
In the eighth inning, right-handed freshman Evan Otte took the bump for the Warriors and pitched two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit.
 
Offensively, the Warriors generated just four hits. In addition to the two home runs, Jack Bollengier singled in the fourth and Grant Yzermans singled in the seventh.
 
Edrian Rangel earned the win for Cal Poly, pitching five scoreless innings in relief after starter Caleb Reyes suffered an injury and did not return for the bottom of the third. Rangle allowed just one hit.
 
Tickets for tomorrow's game are available at athletics.westmont.edu/tickets.