LOS ANGELES, Calif. ? The 24th-ranked UC San Diego baseball team defeated 3rd-ranked Cal State L.A. 7-2 on Friday afternoon in Los Angeles. With the win, UCSD advances to face the loser of the Chico State vs. Sonoma State game. The Tritons must win tonight's game at 7:00 p.m. to advance to the championship day on Saturday. Matt Lawson recorded two of UCSD's six doubles on the day. The Tritons scored three in the fifth and two in the eighth as Trevor Decker went seven innings allowing just one run to earn the win. UCSD improves to 36-22, while the Golden Eagles drop to 39-14-1.
In the UCSD second, Chris Franco walked with one out and stole second base. With two outs, Bryan Silverman found the left center gap for a double, driving in Franco for the game's first run.
With two outs in the top of the third, Felipe Gallo doubled and Adam Klein was hit. The runners moved up to second and third on a wild pitch, but Trevor Decker recorded the final out with a groundball to shortstop, ending the CSULA threat.
In the CSULA fourth, Hernandez reached on an error with one out. Fernando Franco then doubled to left and Hernandez was thrown out at the plate for the second out of the inning. With Franco on third, Jonathan Erickson made a difficult catch and throw, getting the next batter on a ground ball, ending the inning with UCSD remaining ahead 1-0.
In the UCSD fourth , the Tritons loaded the bases with two outs, but left the bases stranded as CSULA got out of the frame.
In the top of the fifth, CSULA's Mike Diaz hit a homerun to left center, tying the game at 1-1.
Vance Albitz led off the UCSD fifth with a perfectly placed bunt single and advanced to second on the errant throw. Matt Lawson picked a good time to get his first hit of the tournament, a double to right center for an RBI, pushing UCSD back up 2-1. Garrett Imeson followed with a fly ball out to right field, which got Lawson to third with one out. Matt Cantele beat the shift with an opposite field double to left, driving in Lawson and UCSD went ahead 3-1. David Morehead layed down a bunt and the throw was wide, allowing Cantele to score from second, an unearned run and the Tritons led 4-1.
With one out in the UCSD seventh, Lawson doubled to left center. Imeson made it back-to-back doubles, driving in Lawson and UCSD went ahead 5-1 through seven.
Decker would exit with a 5-1 lead after pitching seven innings, scattering seven hits and allowing one run.
CSULA got the run back with one out in the eighth on a solo homerun by Brian Hernandez at 5-2 UCSD. With a runner on first and two outs, UCSD's Todd Gimenez struckout the final CSULA batter of the inning to end the threat.
The Tritons worked the bases loaded in their half of the eighth on three walks. A wild pitch then let an insurance run cross the plate and UCSD led 6-2. After Lawson drew a walk to reload the bases, UCSD scored another run on a wild pitch for its seventh run. At the end of the inning, UCSD had scored two runs without a hit and led 7-2 through eight.
After the CSULA leadoff man reached in the ninth, UCSD retired the side as Gimenez earned the save.
UCSD will take the field again tonight, with first-pitch set for 7:00 p.m. against either Sonoma State or Chico State.
