ARCATA, Calif. ? The 2008 season for the UC San Diego softball team came to a sudden end Thursday when No. 8 Humboldt State topped the Tritons 3-1 during day two of the NCAA Division II West Regional Championships.
UCSD ended its season at 32-24 overall, marking the second time since 2002 the program has eclipsed 30 wins.
As the two squads took the field facing elimination, UCSD represented the visiting team and came to bat first. Without any doubts present, the head coaches sent their best to the mounds. Southpaw Melissa Ward, the program's all-time winningest pitcher, toed the mound for the Tritons. Lizzy Prescott, a right-hander who was named an All-American in 2007, started for the Lumberjacks.
In the top of the first inning, Jenni Habib lined a ball to the left of second baseman Caitlin Klug. The ball took a vicious hop as it bounced to Klug and caromed off the fielder's shoulder, bouncing far away enough for Habib to reach third. Prescott left Habib hanging there though, inducing Allison May to pop out to catcher Marissa Slattery and then striking out Jenny Maze to end UCSD's first at-bat.
Klug led off the bottom of the first inning with a single up the middle. After Nikki Ketteringham sacrificed Klug over to second, Ward forced Natalie Galletly to fly out to centerfield and on the next pitch, UCSD leftfielder Megan Grace grabbed a line drive off the bat of Slattery to wrap up the first inning.
After Prescott retired Amanda Eliades to open the top of the second, Danielle Lukk continued her hot hitting with a opposite field drive over the rightfielder's head and moved into scoring position with a double. With a one-strike count to Nicole Saari, Lukk attempted to steal third base. When Slattery's throw down deflected off of third baseman Francesca West's glove and down into the leftfield corner, Lukk had enough time to slide into home safely to put the Tritons up 1-0.
West started the bottom of the second with a single into leftfield and moved over after a successful sacrifice bunt from Ashley Oltjenbruns. With another runner in scoring position, Ward avoided any damage as she fielded a slow roller easily and then struck out pinch hitter Joanna Schultz with a high and away heater to record the final two outs of the inning.
With one out in the top of the third, Sarah Woofter pulled a 1-1 pitch down the leftfield line for a single. Habib followed, dropping a ball in front of the centerfielder to put runners on first and second. May stepped to the plate next but again found herself jammed by Prescott, popping up to Slattery for the second time in two at-bats. On a full count, Maze swung under a pitch at the top of the strike zone and stranded Woofter and Habib.
Grace continued her strong defensive performance in the bottom of the third, sprinting forward and diving headfirst to make a spectacular catch on a low fly ball from Lindsay Warren for the first out. Ward followed with another gem in the field, spearing a Klug grounder and making the easy toss to Habib for the second out. Striking out Ketteringham gave Ward her first 1-2-3 inning of the contest.
Prescott had a chance to match Ward in the top of the fourth and put the Tritons down in order for the first time in the game but with two outs, she hit Saari in the ankle with a errant toss. The HSU ace used an inside pitch to get another UCSD hitter to pop up, this time with Grace placing one in the shortstop's mitt.
Galletly reached base to start the bottom of the fourth inning, taking a Ward pitch off her foot. Slattery placed a liner into left field and after a sacrifice from West, runners stood on second and third with one out. Galletly ended up scoring to give the Lumberjacks their first run when a pop up into short centerfield fell on the ground next to Eliades, who was trying to spot the ball as it moved through the sunshine. A strikeout and fly out stranded two runners and kept the score at 1-1.
After Prescott put the Tritons down in order, Warren began the bottom of the fifth by lining a home run just over the leftfield fence to give the Lumberjacks their first lead of the contest, a 2-1 advantage. Ward worked out of the rest of the inning unscathed, moving the UCSD offense on to the mission of overcoming a one-run margin with six outs left to play.
Leading off the top of the sixth inning, May battled Prescott toe-to-toe through a 12-pitch at-bat. Eventually May sent a towering pop up to West at third base. Trying to shield away the sun, West couldn't track the ball and May scurried to second base safely. In the next at-bat, Maze took a pitch on the elbow to reach first base. Without any outs in the inning and runners on first and second, UCSD head coach Patti Gerckens gave Eliades the bunt sign. Despite having seven sacrifice hits already on the season, Eliades couldn't convert for her eighth, popping up to the first baseman. West redeemed herself on the next play, securing a Lukk popup as it dropped out of the sunny Arcata sky for the inning's second out. Prescott got a called third strike with Saari at the plate to work out of the jam.
The HSU offense added an insurance score in the bottom of the sixth when a rundown between first and second actually gave Motzny enough time to sprint from third to home at the same time.
Prescott closed out the contest with an impressive final inning, ending UCSD's postseason in 1-2-3 fashion.
