LA JOLLA, Calif. - The 10th-ranked UC San Diego baseball team relinquished a 7-2 lead following a six-run seventh and gave up season highs in hits and runs in a 9-8 non-conference defeat to crosstown rival Point Loma Nazarene University at Triton Ballpark on Tuesday night.
The Tritons fell to 7-4 with a second straight loss, while Point Loma improved to 7-2. On Monday, UCSD had moved up from No. 2 to No. 1 in the latest edition of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) West Region poll, with the Sea Lions entering the listing at No. 5 to set up the key regional showdown.
The Tritons actually tied the game right back up at 8-8 in the home seventh, only to see Point Loma push across the decisive score in the eighth. Nine Sea Lions batted in the big seventh, with two infield RBI singles to the shortstop among their four hits in the frame, to go along with three walks. The visitors benefitted from two more bases on balls in the eighth, with yet another infield single, this one a high chop to third base, driving in the final run of the night.
Seven pitchers saw action for UCSD, with eight walks between them, double the staff's previous high for a game in 2015. The Tritons also committed a season-high three errors defensively, but all came before the big Point Loma rally.
Point Loma totaled 10 hits on the night. Clean-up batter Devin Carter went 3-for-5 with a run scored and two of the three RBI infield singles in the seventh and eighth, including what proved to be the winner. Third baseman Troy Cruz leapt high to snatch the chopper, and made the throw to first, but realistically had no play.
After the Sea Lions struck first with a single run in the second on an opposite-field RBI double to the gap in left center by Connor Larson, UCSD answered with two in the home half and three more in the third. Jack Larsen's leadoff single and Zach Friedman's first-pitch double to right center with one out put the Tritons in the business in the second. Redshirt freshman catcher Steven Coe (Valley Center/Valley Center HS) then lifted a sacrifice fly to tie the game, and on the very next pitch by PLNU starter Kellen Sheppard, Christian Leung singled to left to drive in Friedman.
Brandon Shirley singled to open the home third, and after Erik Lewis walked, took the extra base on a flyout to left by Cruz. That enabled him to trot home on Larsen's sacrifice fly. Moments later with the bases full of Tritons and two gone, Coe provided the clutch opposite-field two-run single to right for the 5-1 advantage.
Point Loma threatened to cut into that in the fourth, but with the bases loaded and two outs, senior reliever Javier Carrillo, Jr., induced the inning-ending comebacker.
UCSD similarly failed to capitalize in the bottom half, loading the bases as Shirley slapped a double into the left field corner, and Cruz and Larsen both walked. Eric Pierce struck out the side in and around that action, though, getting a called third strike on Justin Flatt to get out of trouble.
The Sea Lions did pull a run back in the fifth, but UCSD extended to a seemingly-comfortable 7-2 cushion in the sixth. Tyler Howsley took an 0-2 pitch and singled to center to lead things off, before taking second on a wild pitch and sprinting around to score on Shirley's smoked single that took a bad hop off the dirt and ate up PLNU first baseman Ryan Garcia. With two outs, Cruz singled, also moved to second on a wild pitch, and crossed the plate on Larsen's single up the middle.
The comfort of that five-run lead would be short-lived, however, as what followed was the Point Loma seventh.
Shirley finished 3-for-5 with the double, run and RBI. Coe was 1-for-2 with a career-high three RBI. Larsen went 2-for-3 with a walk, run and two RBI. Friedman added a pair of hits, including his third double. Troy Forester (0-1) was pinned with the loss.
Alex Leal (1-0) tossed the seventh for PLNU and picked up the win, while Coleman Huntley III threw the ninth for his third save, striking out a pair in the process.
UCSD returns to California Collegiate Athletic Association play and awaits its first road action of 2015 this Thursday, Feb. 19, opening a four-game split-venue series in Carson against Cal State Dominguez Hills. First pitch at Toro Field is set for 2 p.m.
Triton Notes: John Erhardt drew his first collegiate start on the mound for UCSD, making up an all-redshirt freshman battery with starting catcher Steven Coe ... Coe was successful in throwing out his third would-be base-stealer on his third attempt to begin the year, firing to shortstop Tyler Howsley to cut down Tyler Baker in the first ... With a walk in the fourth, Troy Cruz increased his league-best total to 16 ... Making his fourth appearance, all as a pinch-runner, redshirt freshman Tim White scored his first career run to tie the game at 8-8 in the seventh.
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