LA JOLLA, Calif. ? The UC San Diego softball team dropped both games of its Wednesday night doubleheader with cross town rival Point Loma, losing game one by a 3-1 margin before falling in game two by a 7-2 score. With the losses the Tritons fall to 10-12 on the season while the NAIA's 4th-ranked team remains perfect on the year at 6-0.
Point Loma entered the game having yet to give up a run in 2007, but that quickly changed as the Tritons took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning of game one on a Jenni Habib RBI single through the left side.
The Sea Lions got on the board in the top of the third on a homerun to left center off the bat of Amber Randel. PLNU added another run in the sixth on a Jessica Hibma RBI single to left field and got an insurance run in the seventh inning on an Amanda Addie RBI single through the right side.
KC Robertson picked up the win for the Sea Lions, tossing five full innings in the circle, allowing only one run on five hits with no walks and five strikeouts. Melissa Gomez picked up the save, tossing the final two innings in which she allowed only one hit.
Melissa Ward took the loss for UCSD, allowing two earned runs on six hits in her seven innings of work. She falls to 7-4 on the season and has now tossed 11 complete games on the season.
PLNU wasted no time in game two, scoring four runs in the top half of the first inning highlighted by a two-run double from Hibma and another two-run double off the bat of Laressa Newman.
The Sea Lions added three more in the top of the third, the first of which came on a homerun to center field for Hibma. The other two runs were unearned as the Tritons committed three of their four errors in the third inning.
UCSD got both of its runs in the bottom of the fourth inning as Danielle Lukk singled to begin the inning and came around to score on a Jenny Maze homerun to right field. The dinger was Maze's sixth of the season and the 19th of her career, setting a new career homerun record at UCSD, breaking Amy Mettee's old record of 18 that was set from 2001-04.
Tyler Lent picked up the win for PLNU, tossing five innings in which she allowed only two runs on two hits. Kira Wommer threw the final two frames for the Sea Lions, striking out two and walking one without allowing a hit.
Lauren Chastain falls to 3-6 on the season with the loss for UCSD. She allowed four runs on four hits in only one inning of work. Nicole Fullerton tossed the final six innings, allowing only one earned run on five hits.
Maze's record comes halfway through her junior season as the third baseman from San Clemente connected on six big flies as a freshman and seven more as a sophomore. The seven homeruns last year tied her for the all-time single season mark at UCSD with Mettee (2003) and Pam Hardaway (1985).
Head coach Patti Gerckens' squad returns to action this weekend, traveling to Carson, Calif., for a doubleheader on Saturday at Cal State Dominguez Hills. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m.
