POMONA, Calif.
- Colorado State University Pueblo baseball responded exactly the way it needed to in the series finale, bouncing back from a narrow loss earlier in the day to earn a 4–2 victory over Cal Poly Pomona on Sunday afternoon at Scolinos Field.
After being edged in a low-scoring game earlier in the morning, the ThunderWolves came out with energy and purpose, settling into another tightly contested matchup. The game remained scoreless through the first two innings before CSU Pueblo broke through in the top of the third with a decisive three-run rally.
JJ Fontana ignited the inning after being hit by a pitch and stealing second base. Logan Kelly followed with a clutch RBI single to drive in the game's first run. The Pack continued to apply pressure as Jeremiah Sanchez worked a walk and Taehyung Kim was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Tyler Clementz delivered with an RBI single, and Cooper Latino capped the inning with a run-scoring double to left-center, giving CSU Pueblo a 3–0 advantage.
Cal Poly Pomona answered with a run in the bottom of the third, but Clementz remained composed on the mound, limiting the damage and keeping momentum on the ThunderWolves' side. Clementz turned in a strong performance, going five innings while allowing just one earned run on six hits. He worked efficiently through traffic and gave CSU Pueblo a steady presence after a long day of baseball.
The Broncos chipped away again in the sixth inning, scoring once to trim the deficit to 3–2 and set up a tense finish.
CSU Pueblo responded immediately in the top of the seventh. Fontana reached base with a perfectly placed bunt single and moved into scoring position. After Kelly was hit by a pitch, Kim came through with a timely RBI single to right-center, scoring Fontana and providing a crucial insurance run to extend the lead to 4–2.
Alex Oliver took over late and delivered in the closing moments, navigating traffic while striking out two and securing the final outs to earn his first save of the season.
The ThunderWolves finished the afternoon with seven hits, as Kim, Clementz, Latino, Jimmy Pelletier, Jason Arriola, Kelly, and Fontana all contributed offensively. CSU Pueblo's ability to answer every challenge and capitalize on key opportunities proved to be the difference in the series finale.
The ThunderWolves will be back in action midweek, traveling to Denver on Wednesday for a one-game set against Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference foe Regis University in a non-conference match-up.
