LA JOLLA, Calif. - The No. 10 UC San Diego softball team combined for 24 runs in a pair of wins over Humboldt State in California Collegiate Athletic Association play on Saturday afternoon, defeating the Lumberjacks 12-2 and 12-8 at Triton Softball Field to improve to 19-3 overall and 13-2 in CCAA play.
Camille Gaito (12-0) earned the victories in both contests, working the minimum five innings in game one and the final 1.2 innings of game two. Nicole Spangler racked up three runs and three RBI in a 4-for-6 afternoon while accounting for the game-winning RBI's of game two. The 24 runs on Saturday matches the same number of runners left on base by the Tritons in their Friday doubleheader with the 'Jacks; UCSD used 26 hits and 21 RBI on Saturday to make sure history did not repeat itself.
"We talked about all the runners we left on base yesterday and we knew we had to do something about that," said UCSD head coach Patti Gerckens. "Today we did a great job not only getting on base, but also coming up with some clutch hits. That was key."
HSU starter Vaneza Hoover (4-3) worked herself into trouble in her first half inning, walking four Tritons while surrendering four hits and allowing the first eight UCSD batters to reach safely. Spangler started things off with an RBI single and Hoover would walk the next two batters with the bases loaded to make it 3-0.
The 'Jacks would get a routine double play ball from UCSD's Sarah Woofter on the next play, but HSU second baseman Kirsten Nouzovsky threw to the plate instead, forcing her throw wide of the catcher to the backstop and allowing two more Tritons to score. Jenn De Fazio followed with a double down the left field line to bring in the final Tritons of the inning, giving UCSD a seven-run lead after its first at-bat.
UCSD notched a season-high six hits in the third inning to put up three more runs. Taylor Sepulveda drove in Kris Lesovsky on a single up the middle after Lesovsky's one-out double off the center field wall. Rhiannon Ousley connected on her first hit of the season to drive in two more Tritons and give UCSD a 10-0 lead; Kristin Omori followed with a single to left field for her first hit of her UCSD career. However, the Tritons would leave the bases loaded for the fifth time in less than 24 hours.
The 10-run cushion was all the UCSD ace needed, as Gaito tallied her 10th complete game while striking out three and surrendering five hits. Gaito had a hiccup in the top of the fourth inning, allowing a pair of runs while serving up an RBI double to Felicia Vivieros. Her third complete game this week gives Gaito 42 complete games in her career, moving her into fourth place in school history. Her 42 career victories are also fourth-best in UCSD annals.
In UCSD's half of the fourth, Lyndsay Gaylord became the third Triton of the day to record her first hit of the season and eventually scored on one of HSU's three illegal pitches in the inning. Moreover, Omori, Gaylord and Ousley's singles came in pinch-hit situations in the final two innings with runners on base.
"We were so excited for all of them. The fact that they all got a hit and contributed just shows what a great team we have right now," said Gerckens.
Three Tritons recorded multiple hits in game one; Lesovsky was 2-for-3 with two runs, Sepulveda went 2-for-4 with two runs and Spangler finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Esther Strom was 1-for-3 and scored three times.
"Spangler has done a lot of extra work. It was just a matter of patience and she is coming through," said Gerckens, "It is really great to see that."
Since recording an RBI triple in the seventh inning of a 3-0 win on February 23 at the University of San Diego, Spangler is hitting .529 (9-for-17) as the Tritons' everyday designated player. She hit .636 (7-for-11) versus Humboldt State and came up big with the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth inning of the final game.
After the 'Jacks tied the game 8-8 in their half of the sixth on a grand slam from Felicia Vivieros, Lesovsky and Strom drew one-out walks and Sepulveda singled to load the bases for Spangler. Spangler fouled off a series of pitches on a 2-2 count before pounding a line-drive off the glove of HSU pitcher Jessica George (3-3). The ball trickled slowly into shallow right field, providing just enough time for Lesovsky and Sepulveda to score and make it 10-8 UCSD.
Charly Swanberg followed with a single of her own to drive in Spangler and pinch-runner Emily McQuaid to give the Tritons their final four-run advantage.
Mya Romero was 2-for-3 with four RBI while hitting in the ninth position for the first time in 2011, driving in a pair of runs with a second-inning double and hard single through the left side in the third. Lesovsky and Woofter also tallied RBI doubles in game two.
Lesovsky's three runs on Saturday give her 106 for her Triton career, fourth-most in school history. Patty Hurtt (1985-88) and T.J. Bronson (1984-87) scored 105 times in their UCSD careers.
UCSD takes over sole possession of first place in the CCAA after posting a 5-1 record this week against Cal State San Bernardino and Humboldt State. Sonoma State sits in second place with a 12-4 conference record while Chico State rounds out the top three with a 6-2 CCAA record.
The Tritons will take their show on the road for the next five weeks, traveling to Cal State Dominguez Hills, Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus before returning to Triton Softball Field against Sonoma State, April 15-16. Sandwiched in-between UCSD's busy CCAA schedule is April 1-3's Tournament of Champions in Turlock, Calif.
UCSD opens its series at CSUDH on Friday, March 11, at 12:00 p.m. The second leg of the teams' series will start on Saturday at 12:00 p.m.
