LA JOLLA, Calif -The UC San Diego baseball team opened up the 2006 season with a come-from-behind 9-6 win over Point Loma Nazarene on Wednesday afternoon at Triton Baseball Field. UCSD committed three early errors and fell behind 5-0 to the Sea Lions, aided by five unearned runs. UCSD used a four-run sixth to go infront 7-6 on a two-out, two RBI single by David Morehead. The UCSD bullpen came through late, retiring 13 of the final 15 PLNU batters. Jose Navarro picked up the win and Michael Kearney earned the two-inning save. UCSD is 1-0 and PLNU drops to 9-2.
PLNU scored first on an RBI single and a two-run homerun. PLNU led 3-0 on three unearned runs after one frame.
In the third, another UCSD error and a couple wild pitches gave PLNU two more unearned runs on no hits to lead 5-0 in the third. In the Triton half, David Morehead hit a two-out RBI single to leftfield, scoring Damian Fante for UCSD's first run, trailing 5-1. David Gomez added another two-out RBI single as UCSD came back to within 5-2 at the end of three.
After PLNU added a run in the fourth to lead 6-2, Scott Clement and Matt Cantele reached with one out. Clement scored on Tim Mort's groundout to bring UCSD within 6-3.
In the UCSD sixth, Garret Imeson scored on a wild pitch and Cantele would score on a Mort groundout to bring UCSD back to within 6-5. UCSD would then put together a two-out rally after Damian Fante was hit-by-pitch and Jonathan Erickson singled. David Morehead then drove a single to rightcenter, scoring Fante and Erickson came across with the lead run on a throwing error as UCSD led 7-6 after six.
With two outs in the seventh, Imeson walked and Cantele homered to rightfield for the 9-6 UCSD lead.
PLNU brought the potential tying run to the plate in the ninth, but Kearney produced a groundout to end the game.
Winning pitcher Jose Navarro allowed just one hit in two innings, while Trevor Decker pitched a perfect seventh and Kearney allowed one hit in his two-inning save.
UCSD is back in action at the Cal State San Bernardino tournament in San Bernardino from Feb. 10-12. UCSD takes on Cal State L.A. on Friday the 10th at 2:00 p.m. in San Bernardino.
