LA JOLLA, Calif. - Two strong performances from starting pitchers and an explosive offense led the No. 2 UC San Diego baseball team to a pair of wins over Western Oregon Saturday at Triton Ballpark.
UCSD (3-0) won the first game 10-2 and took the nightcap 6-1. Western Oregon fell to 0-3 as the Tritons also won Friday's series opener.
In the first game, Guido Knudson (1-0) threw seven innings, giving up two runs on eight hits while striking out seven and walking two. Catcher Michael Benton went 3-for-4 with a run and two RBI and outfielder Kyle Saul drove in three as the Tritons erupted for six runs over the seventh and eighth innings to ice the win.
The second game featured Daniel Simmons (1-0) throwing a complete game (seven innings) and surrendering just one unearned run on three hits. He struck out four. Outfielder Danny Susdorf had two hits and shortstop Garrett Tuck drove in a pair.
"I can't say enough about the outings we had on the mound combined with the way our hitters were grinding it out," said UCSD head coach Dan O'Brien. "We'll be a tough club to beat if our guys show up to compete everday the way they did today."
Western Oregon took an early 1-0 lead in game one. Grant Glover, the first batter of the game, singled up the middle and later, with two outs, stole second. DH Miles Kizer put a ground ball threw the left side of the infield to plate Glover.
UCSD got all the runs it would need in the third inning. Tuck led off and reached on an error. Aaron Bauman was then hit by a pitch and Susdorf dropped a single into left, plating Tuck. Saul pushed Bauman over to third and Susdorf to second with a sacrifice bunt before Benton put a pitch back up the middle to score them both.
Bauman put UCSD up 4-1 in the third inning with a home run down the right field line, the first long ball of the young season for the Tritons. The Wolves got one back in the sixth. With two outs, Griffin Boyd doubled to right center, scoring Michael Chiarelli, who was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Boyd finished 3-for-4.
The Tritons tacked on four more runs in the seventh, two of those coming after Saul doubled down the right field line, scoring Bauman and Susdorf. Two runs in the eighth were walked in by WOU relievers.
Justin Burns and Nick Hudson took over for Knudson and combined for two scoreless innings to ice the victory.
Michael Ward (0-1) took the loss, surrendering four runs (three earned) on five hits in six innings of work. He struck out six and walked none. Unfortunately for Western Oregon, Ward's relievers walked seven batters over the next two innings.
The Wolves had nine hits while the Tritons had seven in the game.
In game two, UCSD scored two in the third and another in the fourth to go up 3-0. WOU got a run in the fifth to come within two, but the Tritons blew up for three in the bottom half of the fifth to put the game out of reach. Tuck produced two of them with a triple to left center that seemed to roll forever.
UC San Diego had eight hits as Susdorf collected two and six other Tritons had one each.
Cam Nobles (0-1) suffered the loss as he allowed six runs (five earned) over five innings.
The series concludes Sunday with a single game slated for an 11 a.m. first pitch at Triton Ballpark. UCSD will be looking to down WOU in four consecutive games for the second season in a row.
- ucsdtritons.com -
