AZUSA, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific is one step away from the NCAA Division II West Super Regional after Osvaldo Tovalin hit three home runs and drove in eight to lead an offensive explosion from the top-seeded Cougars against No. 5-seeded Cal Poly Pomona Friday night.

Tovalin finished 4-for-6 with 3 home runs and 8 RBIs, including a fifth-inning grand slam to right that busted the game open by giving Azusa Pacific an 11-1 lead halfway through the contest. He also had a two-run home run just two batters into the game, along with a solo shot in the eighth inning.

Nick Estrella held the Broncos to one run on three hits through the first six frames before Cal Poly Pomona got a pair of runs on two hits off Estrella in his seventh inning of work.

Griffen Herrera went 3-for-6 with a double and his 10th home run of the year, while Tido Robles hit his 11th home run in a 2-for-4 effort at the plate.

Azusa Pacific's five home runs in the game (plus two more in the 4-3 win over Cal State Monterey Bay earlier in the day) pushed the Cougars' Division II-leading team home run total to 92. Tovalin also moved into the team lead in RBIs, with his eight runs driven in giving him a team-high season total of 59 RBIs.

With the win, Azusa Pacific improves to 38-13 on the year, while Cal Poly Pomona falls to 30-27 heading into Saturday's West #1 Regional Game 4. The Cougars can clinch their berth into the NCAA West Super Regional with a win in Saturday's Game 4 at noon, but Cal Poly Pomona can force Game 5 with a win in Saturday's opener.

What It Means: The elimination of Cal State Monterey Bay leaves Azusa Pacific and Cal Poly Pomona to battle for the berth in next week's NCAA West Super Regional. The Cougars need to win just once in two possible Saturday games against Cal Poly Pomona.

What's Next: Azusa Pacific and Cal Poly Pomona meet in Game 4 of the West #1 Regional tournament on Saturday at noon. If Cal Poly Pomona wins that game, the teams will play again at 3:30 p.m. in a winner-take-all finale to advance in the NCAA Tournament.

How It Happened: Tovalin smashed a 1-1 pitch over the right field fence in the top of the first inning for Azusa Pacific, which batted first as the home and visiting teams alternate throughout the tournament. Tido Robles added a sacrifice fly later in the frame, giving the Cougars and starting pitcher Nick Estrella a 3-0 lead to start with.

Estrella delivered a seven-inning quality start, scattering three runs on five Cal Poly Pomona hits while striking out a pair. Kenneth Pettibone and Gabe Ramos each tossed a scoreless frame to close out the game.

Tovalin's second home run of the game was a fifth-inning grand slam which pushed the lead to 11-1, and he added a solo shot to lead off the eighth inning. Griffen Herrera added a third-inning solo home run, and Robles added a seventh-inning solo shot.

In the bottom of the seventh, Dante Palacio hit his first collegiate home run, a two-run shot to right field with two outs in the seventh.

Inside The Box Score: Justin Gomez singled in his first at-bat to extend his hitting streak to 18 games with his 1-for-4 effort… Tovalin's four-hit performance was his 24th multi-hit game this year and his third time with four hits in a game… He also registered a career-high in RBIs with 8, his 12th multi-RBI game this year and third time with at least five RBIs… The Cougars are now 22-0 this year in games decided by more than five runs… Azusa Pacific's 92 home runs marks the fourth-highest season home run total in program history, and it also represents the highest team home run total across all three divisions of NCAA baseball (I, II, III).

Postgame Press Conference