HAYWARD, Calif. - The 3rd-ranked UC San Diego baseball team swept a doubleheader against Cal State East Bay on Friday afternoon at Pioneer Field. The Tritons used timely hitting in the first game as UCSD won 5-3. Tim Shibuya improved to 5-0 and Elias Tuma pitched the final 2.1 innings to record the save. In the second game, the Tritons trailed 2-0 through five innings in the seven inning game, but rallied with three runs in the top of the sixth for the 3-2 win. Guido Knudson (3-1) went the distance recording 11 strikeouts in the complete game.

"We didn't play well, but found a way to pick up a couple wins today," said head coach Dan O'Brien. "It helps when you get two outstanding starts on the mound."

With the wins, UCSD improves to 17-3, 8-2 California Collegiate Athletic Association, while CSUEB drops to 5-11-1, 2-8-0 CCAA).

In the first game, Shibuya pitched 6.2 innings, allowed nine hits and three runs. He struck out five and walked one. Tuma allowed only one hit and one walk in recording seven outs for the save. The save was UCSD's first this season.

Offensively, the Tritons scored single runs in the second, fourth and sixth innings to lead 3-1. UCSD pushed two across in the seventh inning to lead 5-1, but CSUEB responded with two runs as well, and chased starter Shibuya from the game and trailed 5-3 through seven.

UCSD had 10 hits in the first game, with three by Vance Albitz and two each from Aaron Bauman, Brandon Gregorich, Evan Kehoe and Michael Benton.

In the second game, the teams were scoreless through the first three innings. CSUEB got on the board with back-to-back doubles in the fourth inning to lead 2-0. CSUEB had a runner on third with no outs, but Knudson struck out the final three batters in the inning, stranding the runner on third and keeping UCSD within two runs.

In the sixth inning, Bauman led off with a double down the left field line and was awarded third base as interference was called on a CSUEB infielder. Bauman would score on a wild pitch to pull UCSD within 2-1. Gregorich walked and Kehoe beat out a potential double play sac bunt attempt to keep a runner on base. After Benton singled to put runners on the corners with still one out, Blake Tagmyer came through with the big sac fly RBI to tie the game at 2-2.

The Tritons would score the go-ahead run on an error as Nick Hom hit a high chopper to third. Hom hustled down the line and forced an errant throw by the CSUEB third baseman that would allow the go-ahead run to cross the plate.

Knudson continued to sail through the lineup as he had strikeouts in every inning. Knudson struck out four of the final six Pioneers to close out the win at 3-2.

The Tritons only managed four hits in the game, a season low. The previous low was an eight hit game against Grand Canyon.

UCSD and CSUEB return to the field on Saturday, with a single game beginning at 1:00 p.m. at Pioneer Field.