ROHNERT PARK, Calif. ? For the second-straight day the UC San Diego and Sonoma State softball teams split a CCAA doubleheader at Seawolf Diamond on the SSU campus. With the split the Tritons' record goes to 10-10 overall and 5-3 in league play while the Seawolves' record moves to 8-10 overall and 2-4 in conference action.
After falling behind by a 3-0 score through the first four innings, UCSD rallied with five runs in the top half of the fifth to take a two run lead. The Tritons added one more in the seventh before giving up three runs to SSU in the bottom half of the frame to tie the score at six apiece.
Game one was eventually decided in extra innings when the Tritons plated three runs in the ninth inning and held on for the 9-6 victory.
Sophomore Danielle Lukk and freshman Nicole Saari each had two hits in the first game while junior Jenny Maze tied the all-time home run record at UCSD, blasting her fifth of the season and 18th of her career in the contest.
Melissa Ward improved to 7-3 on the season, tossing her 10 complete game in the process, allowing only two earned runs on 10 hits in her nine full innings of work.
Game two saw UCSD take a 2-0 lead through its first two at-bats before the Seawolves tied the game with one run in each of the second and third innings. The Tritons re-took the lead in the fifth inning but could not retain it as SSU scored in the bottom of the fifth and again in the bottom of the sixth for the 5-3 victory.
Saari, along with seniors Dallas Hernandez and Nikki Palmer accounted for six of the Tritons eight hits, collecting two apiece.
Junior Nicole Fullerton took her second loss in as many starts this season, allowing five runs on 12 hits in 5 2/3 innings of work. Christine Zankich threw the final 1/3 of an inning and allowed one hit in her time in the circle.
Head coach Patti Gerckens and her squad returns to action on Wednesday, February 28th, hosting cross-town rival Point Loma Nazarene in a doubleheader that begins at 4 p.m. at Triton Softball Field.
