LA JOLLA, Calif. ? The 8th-ranked UC San Diego baseball team dropped its second consecutive game despite scoring eight times in the ninth inning and leaving the potential tying and go-ahead runs on base in a 17-16 loss to Cal State Monterey Bay on Sunday. With the loss, the Tritons drop to 41-14, 25-11 California Collegiate Athletic Association while the Otters improve to 17-35, 9-27 CCAA. The Triton offense had 23 hits, including a combined 13 hits off senior bats Chris Franco, James Ferguson, Chris Hom, Buck Wright and Tony Bonelli. UCSD returns to action at the CCAA Tournament on Thursday on the campus of Chico State.
UCSD hit two homeruns in the game, Matt Cantele hit his 11th homerun of the year and Bonelli hit a two-run homerun as part of the UCSD eight-run ninth-inning.
The five UCSD seniors that saw action on the offensive side of the ball, went a combined 13-for-21 with 10 RBI and eight runs scored. Franco went 3-for-6 with two RBI, Ferguson went 2-for-6 with three runs scored, Hom went 3-for-4 with three RBI, Wright went 3-for-3 with an RBI and Bonelli went 2-for-2 with four RBI.
Garrett Imeson and Nick Burke also had two hits for the Tritons. Cantele also walked three times.
The loss went to Nick Rodieck (1-1), one of five UCSD pitchers to see action in a seven-run CSUMB seventh-inning. The loss was the first time for the Tritons when leading after the sixth inning. UCSD had won its previous 35 games when leading through six. UCSD held a 7-4 lead heading into the seventh-inning.
CSUMB's Matt DeJesus had an RBI single in the first inning to give the Otters a 1-0 lead.
In the Otter second, Jayson Furria led off with a single and stole second. With one out, Cody Guarnera singled for an RBI, giving CSUMB a 2-0 edge. With two outs, Shea Davis singled for two RBI, pushing the Otters ahead 4-0.
Nick Burke led off the UCSD third with a single, the first hit of the game for the Tritons. Chris Hom followed with a single through the left side. Buck Wright made it three straight hits with an RBI single up the middle to make the score 4-1. Vance Albitz reached on a bunt single to load the bases with no outs. Cantele followed with a sac fly to left, making the score 4-2 CSUMB.
In the UCSD fourth with two outs, Hom doubled to right field for an RBI and UCSD was within 4-3. Wright followed with a single but Hom was thrown out at the plate as the score remained 4-3 through four innings.
Albitz led off the UCSD fifth with a single to center and Cantele followed with a two-run homerun to right field, giving the Tritons the 5-4 lead. With two outs and two on, a CSUMB error led to an unearned run, giving the Tritons a 6-4 lead.
Wright led off the UCSD sixth with a single to left. Albitz followed with a double to left, driving in the pinch runner Tony Bonelli for the 7-4 lead.
With one out in the CSUMB seventh, Matt Ralls hit an RBI triple making the score 7-5 UCSD. The Otters would go on to load the bases with one out and DeJesus came through with a two RBI single, tying the game at 7-7. Steve Mays followed with a double to center for an RBI and CSUMB went ahead 8-7. With the bases loaded, Jacob Flores cleared the bases with a triple to right field and the Otters led 11-7.
With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Burke doubled and Hom singled to put runners on the corners. Bonelli hit an infield hit for an RBI and UCSD pulled within 11-8.
CSUMB added three more runs in the eighth inning to lead 14-8. And three more in the ninth to lead 17-8.
UCSD would score five times with two outs in the ninth, pulling within 17-16 and the bases loaded. Albitz hit a chopper up the middle which the CSUMB pitcher grabbed and tossed to first for the final out.
The CCAA Tournament will begin on Thursday with Chico State as host in Chico, Calif. Sonoma State is the No. 1 seed, followed by No. 2 UC San Diego, No. 3 Chico State and No. 4 Cal State Stanislaus.
