PHOENIX, Ariz. ?The 6th-ranked UC San Diego baseball team recorded its second shut out of the year, defeating Grand Canyon 7-0 on Thursday night at Brazell Stadium. Tim Shibuya led the way pitching eight shutout innings, allowing four hits and striking out a career-high 10 batters. Ryland MacFadyen finished off the shutout, striking out the side in the ninth. With UCSD leading 2-0 in the fifth, Brandon Gregorich hit a two-run homerun to extend the lead to 4-0. Matt Cantele provided insurance runs in the ninth with a two-RBI double in the ninth. With the win, UCSD improves to 23-8 while Grand Canyon drops to 13-23.
UCSD finished the night with 15 hits as Vance Albitz, Robert Sedin, Josh Tanner and Garrett Imeson all had multi-hit games. Abitz went 3-for-4 with two stolens bases, Sedin went 2-for-4 with three stolen bases and Gregorich and Cantele had two RBI each.
In the first inning, Albitz led off with a single and stole second, Imeson followed with an RBI single and the Tritons quickly had a 1-0 lead.
UCSD played small ball for a run in the second as Sedin led off with a single. With one out, Sedin stole third and would score on Tanner's RBI groundout for the 2-0 lead.
Gregorich hit his second homerun of the year in the fifth inning, as the Tritons built a 4-0 edge.
The score would remain that way before the Tritons broke through with three more runs in the ninth. With two on and no outs, Cantele doubled to right center for two RBI and UCSD led 6-0. Nick Burke had an RBI groundout for UCSD's seventh run of the game.
Shibuya improves to 5-2 on the season.
UCSD and Grand Canyon return to the field on Friday for a doubleheader. Both games will be seven-inning games with first pitch of the first game slated for 1:00 p.m.
