By Ron Smith
February 1, 2025
 
(POMONA, Calif.) A day after opening the season with a 5-4 win over Cal Poly Pomona (2-1), Westmont Baseball (1-2) dropped both ends of a doubleheader against the Broncos on Saturday.
 
Scoring was plentiful for both teams in game one, which saw the Broncos win 12-11 in 10 innings. In the second game, Cal Poly posted a 10-6 win.
 
The Warriors used six pitchers in the first game, trying to slow down the Broncos' bats. Ryan Humphreys started on the mound for the Warriors and pitched three innings, surrendering four runs on seven hits, striking out three and walking three.
 
Josh Hickey also pitched three innings, allowing one run on two hits. Hickey struck out four and walked three.
 
Evan Johnson, who pitched the 10th inning, was charged with the loss after giving up one run on two hits and two walks.
 
Collectively, Warrior hurlers walked 10 and struck out eight.
 
Westmont scored a single run in the first inning on an RBI-single by Trey Dunn, driving in Bryce McFeely. However, Cal Poly responded in the bottom half of the opening frame with a pair of runs. A bases-loaded infield single by Anthony Gibbons scored a single run before Sebastian Arguelles was walked to score a second.
 
In the top of the second inning, freshman Jesse Di Maggio made the most of his first collegiate at bat. With a 0-1 count, his first swing deposited the ball over the left-field fence for a solo home run. Later in the inning, Michael Soper produced a hard-hit ground ball, driving in Jack Bollengier from third and putting the Warriors up 3-2.
 
Once again, the Broncos responded in the bottom of the second, with a solo home run by Johnny Pappas. Jack Sanders followed that with a triple to right center, then scored on an RBI-groundout by Marco Malerba.
 
After a scoreless third inning, Westmont put up four runs in the top of the fourth to take a 7-4 advantage. The first run scored on a double by Michael Soper that drove in Daniel Patterson from first. After Soper stole third, he was driven in by McFeely's single through the left side.
 
With two away, McFeely stole second before Isaac Veal sent the ball over the left-field fence for a two-run home run.
 
Cal Poly made it a 7-5 game in the bottom of the sixth when Brent Cota sent a sacrifice fly into center field, driving in Malerba.
 
With one away in the top of the second, Veal went deep for the second time in the game, crushing the ball over the left-field fence.  Westmont scored again in the inning making it a 9-5 margin. With Di Maggio on third, Colin Callahan singled through the left side of the infield.
 
In the bottom half of the seventh, the Broncos took back the Warriors' gains on a two-run home run by Sanders, reducing the lead to two (9-7).
 
Westmont stretched the advantage back to four (11-7) on a pair of ninth-inning runs. The first was off a double by Di Maggio that scored Dunn from third. Dunn had led off the inning with a triple to right.  Callahan followed Di Maggio with a single, advancing him to third. An attempt to retire Di Maggio at third went awry, allowing the freshman designated hitter to score.
 
The bottom of the ninth proved to be the Warriors' undoing. The first run scored when Cota was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Two more scored on a bases-loaded single by pinch hitter Robbie Treto. Then with runners on the corners, pinch hitter Tyler Chaffee doubled to left center. Cota scored easily, tying the game. Treto attempted to score from first. However, Callahan, the Westmont shortstop, relayed the throw from Bollengier in center to Tyler McEvoy at home. McEvoy applied the tag to Treto, sending the game into extra innings.
 
With one-away in the top of the 10th, Soper walked, then advanced to second on a wild pitch. However, Westmont was unable to bring Soper home.
 
The first game ended in the bottom of the 10th on a bases-loaded single by Angulo that scored Pappas.
 
The nightcap saw the Broncos jump out to a 4-0 lead by scoring two runs in each of the first two innings. In the first inning, the runs were the result of solo home runs by Pappas and Angulo.
 
In the bottom of the second, Pappas picked up an RBI by driving in Arguelles with a sacrifice fly to right. Then an RBI-single by Sanders brought home Dominic Porter.
 
Westmont got on the board in the top of the third. Patterson doubled to right center then reached third on a groundout by Soper. Patterson was awarded home when a balk was called.
 
However, the Broncos responded with three more runs in the bottom of the third to go up 7-1. After Chaffee scored on a wild pitch, Beau Betten drove in two runs with a single down the left-field line.
 
A couple of big blasts in the top of the fourth resulted in five Warrior runs, starting with a lead-off home run to center field by Dunn. One out later, Di Maggio and Grant Yzermans were the beneficiaries of back-to-back walks. Shane Hofstadler then walked with two outs, loading the bases and bringing up Patterson. On a 1-0 count, Patterson pounded a grand slam over the left-field fence, making it a 7-6 score.
 
That, however, would be the end of the Warrior scoring. The Broncos would add a single run in the bottom of the fourth, the sixth and the eighth innings to account for the final score.
 
On his first day of collegiate baseball, Di Maggio was five of seven with a home run and a double, four runs scored and two RBIs. He also walked twice.
 
In the first game, Veal (who did not play in the second game) went three for five with two home runs, two runs scored and three RBIs.
 
Next week, Westmont will host San Francisco State in a four-game series. On Thursday, the home opener will begin at two o'clock. On Friday, the Gators and Warriors will play a doubleheader with first pitch scheduled for 11:00 a.m. Then on Saturday, the series will conclude with a single game beginning at noon.