WALNUT, Calif. – Neither side assumed it would be easy coming into Saturday's NCAA Division II West Regional elimination game, but unfortunately for California Baptist University, Cal Poly Pomona earned the hard-fought victory.
 
A bit of a rollercoaster game ended with the top-seeded and ninth-ranked Broncos in NCAA Division II on top by a score of 6-4. CBU's 11^th postseason trip in 12 seasons ends with the Lancers holding a 31-22 record. With a 41-15 record, Cal Poly Pomona continues on with a game against second-seeded Azusa Pacific at 7 p.m. Saturday.

While a disappointing end, the season was just an exact opposite for the Lancers as they overcame obstacle after obstacle to reach the playoffs. 

"We aren't disappointed," Antonio Chavarria said. "We had to overcome a bunch of adversity this year. We lost a lot of players early in the season, and had a lot of guys playing out of position throughout the year. Everyone just stepped up, though. Our goal was to make the playoffs, and we were happy to be here."

The Lancers outhit the Broncos in the game, 10-9, with Chavarria, A.J. David and John Taurinsky each logging two-hits in the loss. Andy Crowley solidified his place in CBU history with his 283rd hit Saturday, keeping him firmly as the No. 2 career-hits leader in the program. He capped off his brilliant Lancers career with a scoreless inning of relief in the top of the ninth.

"This was a day for our seniors, and we have some good ones in Crowley, David Herd and Nathan Antoun," Coach Gary Adcock said. 
 
Both teams started scoring in the second inning. A walk and triple led to Cal Poly Pomona taking a 1-0 lead in the top half, but the Lancers responded with a two-run second. David drew a one-out walk but with two outs, CBU needed someone to come up in the clutch.
 
The Lancers had Taurinsky and Luke Navigato answer the call. Taurinsky blooped a 2-2 single right off the left-field foul line to score David from second. Navigato turned on a 1-2 pitch and laced a double passed a diving third baseman just inside the third-base line to score Taurinsky easily.
 
In the third, Crowley and Chavarria pieced together back-to-back hits, with Crowley showcasing some great defensive hitting to get on board and Chavarria doubling into the opposite field to add another run for a 3-1 advantage.
 
Cal Poly Pomona showed where it merited its top seed and No. 9 ranking in Division II, charging out to a 6-3 lead with three runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth.

The Lancers began clawing their way back into the game in the bottom half of the frame. David led off the inning with a single and he advanced to second on a passed ball and third on a Taylor Wetzel grounder. Taurinsky brought him home with a rolling single into center field, cutting the deficit to 6-4.
 
It was all the Lancers could mount, as Cal Poly Pomona just held on to advance in the tournament. 

"Hopefully we come back stronger next year," Adcock said. "We have some good building blocks for next year."