ARCATA, Calif. - The UC San Diego softball team split its pair of road games Friday with Humboldt State, as the Tritons won the first contest 5-1 before dropping the second by a 2-1 score.
UCSD, 26-14 overall and 16-10 within the California Collegiate Athletic Association, remains in third place in the conference standings. Around the league Friday, the fourth- and fifth-place squads, Cal State San Bernardino and Cal State Dominguez Hills, picked up doubleheader sweeps over the first- and second-place teams, Sonoma State and Cal State Monterey Bay.
In game one between UCSD and HSU, junior centerfielder Kris Lesovsky led the Tritons' offense with a 3-for-4 performance, including two scores and two runs batted in. A two-run rally in the fourth inning proved to be UCSD's biggest of the contest. Junior Katrin Gabriel led off the frame with a double, before being moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Jennifer De Fazio. Gabriel would score on a single from Lesovsky, who crossed the plate herself moments later thanks to a double by Sarah Woofter.
In addition to Lesovsky, senior Nicole Saari and freshman Katie Belanger also contributed multi-hit games with two hits apiece.
The lone run charged to Tritons' starter Camille Gaito came on a solo shot from HSU first baseman Chrissy Stalf in the fifth inning. Beyond that, Gaito threw a complete game while scattering eight hits and striking out three Lumberjacks' hitters.
UCSD head coach Patti Gerckens sent Gaito out again for the start of Friday's second game and the sophomore right-hander responded with three scoreless innings. After the Tritons broke a 0-0 tie in the top of the fourth on Gabriel stealing home, Granath replaced Gaito in the next half inning when UCSD took the field with a 1-0 lead.
The Tritons' advantage held up until the bottom of the sixth, when HSU second baseman Kristen Nouzovsky belted a two-run homerun to seize the late 2-1 lead. In UCSD's last turn at the plate, Lesovsky managed to get on first base with one out after knocking a single up the middle. The Lumberjacks turned a double play to end the game though, salvaging the doubleheader split.
The two squads will return to action at Arcata High School on Saturday with the series-ending doubleheader set to begin at 10 a.m.
