CHICO, Calif. ?The 6th-ranked UC San Diego baseball team rallied in the late innings but fell to Chico State by an 8-6 score on Sunday afternoon. The Tritons saw their 12-game winning streak come to a halt, but successfully won 3-of-4 on the road against the Wildcats, ending the weekend atop the conference standings. UCSD fell behind by six runs, only to score four times in the seventh and bring the potential tying run to the plate. The rally fell short however and the Tritons were held under 10 hits for the first time in their last 11 games. With the loss, UCSD drops to 22-8, 19-5 California Collegiate Athletic Association, while the Wildcats improve to 21-16, 12-12 CCAA.
Trailing 1-0 in the third, Garrett Imeson doubled with two outs, driving in an RBI and tied the game at 1-1.
Chico State would break open the game with three runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth for an 8-2 lead.
The Tritons would not go down without a rally as UCSD would send four runs across in the seventh inning. Matt Cantele had an RBI single and Brandon Gregorich had a sac fly RBI. Nick Burke had the big hit with a double down the left field line, scoring two runs and pulled the Tritons within 8-6.
Guido Knudson held the Wildcats scoreless the final two innings, giving the Tritons a chance. UCSD could not get the final tying runs in the game as CSUC salvaged the final game of the series, avoiding a UCSD sweep.
UCSD hit .368 in the four game series. Josh Tanner led the way (raising his season average over .400), hitting 8-for-15, a .533 average and six RBI. Garrett Imeson had a team high nine hits (9-for-19), a .474 average, four doubles, a triple, homerun and five RBI. Vance Albitz hit .381 and Brandon Gregorich hit .375 in the four game set.
Knudson saw action in three games, picking up two saves with a 0.00 ERA in 4.1 innings.
The Tritons begin a four-game non-conference in-region series on the road at Grand Canyon next week. The first game is on Thursday with a 7:00 p.m. first pitch in Phoenix, Arizona.
