LA JOLLA, Calif. - The UC San Diego softball team executed in all aspects of the game Tuesday and ultimately came away with a doubleheader sweep over non-conference challenger Dixie State.
The Tritons improve to 13-9 overall while the Red Storm, a member of the Pacific West Conference, falls to 7-6 on the season. Junior Kris Lesovsky set the table for the Tritons' offense in game one, reaching base three times, and UCSD cruised to an 8-2 victory behind another strong pitching performance from Camille Gaito. In the second game of the day, the Tritons' Christine Zankich and Tess Granath held off the DSC bats just long enough for UCSD to secure the narrow 3-2 victory. The Red Storm entered the week receiving votes just outside the top 25 in the most recent National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) poll.
Gaito ended up going 6.1 innings in the afternoon contest while racking up eight strikeouts, a total matching her career high set earlier in 2010. She improves to 8-4 on the season, receiving plenty of run support Tuesday with Lesovsky, Mandi Eliades and Jennifer De Fazio recording two hits apiece. Along with De Fazio, Nicole Saari and Nicole Spangler tallied two RBI each out of the No. 3 and No. 4 spots in the lineup.
Game two on Tuesday unfolded in a drastically different fashion, as the Tritons broke through for three runs in the first inning before going scoreless for the remainder of the game. Despite UCSD being outhit 10-4, the Triton pitchers worked out of jams and avoided major damage from the Red Storm attack.
UCSD's first inning rally began with Lesovsky driving a ball to deep leftfield. Up against the wall, DSC outfielder Cassi Merrill dropped the ball and Lesovsky sprinted to occupy second base. Sarah Woofter, Saari and Spangler followed with three-straight singles and the Tritons took an early 3-0 lead.
With Zankich running into trouble in the fifth inning after going 4.1 innings of one-run ball, UCSD head coach Patti Gerckens brought Granath in from the pen to give the Red Storm attack a different look. After hurling 4.2 innings without allowing a hit in her last outing, Granath recorded the save Tuesday night with 2.2 innings of solid work. Striking out three of the eight outs she recorded, Granath allowed just one hit along the way.
On the day, De Fazio and Lesovsky ended up reaching base four times each and Eliades contributed a 3-for-6 performance across the two contests.
The Tritons will return to action when they host Cal State Stanislaus in a four-game series starting Friday at 1 p.m. The Warriors, a familiar California Collegiate Athletic Association foe, have started their 2010 season with a 1-11 conference mark.
