LOS ANGELES -- Cal State LA's baseball team created some late drama Friday night in the opener of a four-game series against Cal Poly Pomona, but couldn't turn it into a win.

The Golden Eagles scored single runs in the eighth and ninth innings and had the tying run at second base when the Broncos finally finished a 4-3 California Collegiate Athletic Association victory at Reeder Field. The Golden Eagles pulled to within 4-3 with a booming two-out double from Malik Clayton, but saw the rally end in frustrating fashion. Cal State LA (19-20, 13-16 CCAA) lost its second straight one-run decision, while Cal Poly Pomona (22-16, 18-11 CCAA) pulled into sole possession of third place in the conference.

Cal State LA slipped into seventh place, one-half game behind Cal State Dominguez Hills. The top six teams qualify for the CCAA Tournament.

The game featured some outstanding pitching from both sides and a key defensive play in the seventh inning from the Broncos that went a long way in securing their victory.

Holden Hungerford got the start for Cal State LA and went five strong innings, allowing five hits and three runs. The first two runs he gave up were manufactured by the smallest of small ball. The Broncos got a nice bunt single by Beau Betten to start the inning and he moved to second on a wild pitch and to third on a groundout to second by Brent Cota. After a walk to Johnny Pappas, Jack Sanders nudged a squibber that was perfectly placed between Hungerford and first baseman Matthew Piotrowski and beat it out for an infield single, scoring Betten for the first run of the game.

Anthony Gibbons then delivered a sacrifice fly to score Pappas and the Broncos had a 2-0 lead with only Gibbons hitting a ball out of the infield.

Hungerford left after issuing a leadoff walk in the sixth inning and the Broncos again executed offensively. After Darius Price drew the walk, he stole second with one out and scored on a single up the middle by Betten to make it 3-0.

Cal Poly Pomona's Caleb Reyes, meanwhile, cruised into the sixth inning, allowing only an infield single by Isaiah Marquez in the second inning and a leadoff walk to Elijah Jackson in the fourth inning. Jackson, though, got the Golden Eagles on the board in the bottom of the sixth with a solo home run to right for his fifth home run of the season.

The defensive play of the game then came in the seventh. After Marquez reached on an error to start the inning, Clayton just missed tying the game with a two-run home run, only to have left fielder Sanders make a spectacular catch just in front of the short left-field fence and then fire the ball into Betten, who doubled Marquez off of first.

Instead of making it 3-2 at the minimum with a runner on second and no one out, the Golden Eagles had two outs and no one on and Reyes was able to retire Drew Porter on a liner to center to end the inning.

The Broncos then made it 4-1 in the eighth with a dropped pop-up, another bunt single by Betten and a sacrifice fly by Pappas. 

The Golden Eagles weren't done, though, and pulled to within 4-2 in the bottom of the eighth. Kai Penuelas doubled down the right-field line and Ethan Gonzalez lined to deep center, moving Penuelas to third. Pinch hitter Andrew Tovar drove in Penuelas with a groundout to get the Golden Eagles closer.

After Brent Jacques tossed a scoreless ninth inning, Reyes got the first two outs in the bottom of the ninth before a double by Marquez brought the tying run to the plate. Clayton greeted reliever Drew Atherton with a double off the left-centerfield wall to make it 4-3, but Atherton got the final out via strikeout for his first save of the season. Reyes improved to 5-0 after allowing four hits and three runs over 8 2/3 innings.

Marquez had two hits for the Golden Eagles, who had a home run and three doubles as part of their five hits.

Hungerford allowed only five hits and the three runs with two walks and three strikeouts. Michael Gill allowed only an unearned run over the next three innings Jacques worked around one hit in a scoreless ninth inning.

Cal State LA will continue the series with Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday with a doubleheader at Reeder Field beginning at 1 p.m.