SEASIDE, Calif. - After suffering a heartbreaking 3-2 loss in the opener, the UC San Diego softball team bounced back and defeated No. 3 Cal State Monterey Bay in game two Friday at Otter Sports Complex. A two-run homer by shortstop McKenna Clewett put the Tritons ahead early en route to a 4-2 win.
UCSD improves to 15-3 overall and 8-2 in the California Collegiate Athletics Association (CCAA) and CSUMB moves to 11-2 on the season with a 4-2 conference mark.
Game One
The Otters struck early in game one, taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning. After striking out the first batter, Hannah Duarte walked three straight to load the bases. Duarte (7-3) caught Madison Casto looking, but walked Anneliese Lopez to drive in the first run of the game.
The junior righty quickly recovered, giving up just two hits in the next three innings while fanning two batters.
UCSD was quiet on offense as Cori Reinhardt (7-0) was nearly perfect through four innings. After Clewett started off the game with a strikeout, Kristin George reached first on a hit by pitch. Reinhardt then retired 11 straight batters.
Emily Sklencar broke up the no hitter in the fifth with a single to third base. Kendall Baker then came in to pitch run for Sklencar, stole second and advanced to third when Kelsi Maday singled through the left side. In the next at bat, Rachel Phillips singled to right field to tie the game at 1-1.
CSUMB pulled ahead in the bottom of the inning. The Otters scored their first run on a single to center field. Then with two outs and two on, Alissa Greenshaw reached on a error to bring in the eventual game winning run.
Sklencar drove in Taylor Abeyta in the top of sixth, but it wasn't enough to pull off the win as the Tritons dropped 3-2.
Game Two
The Tritons first lead of the day came in the third inning of game two. Junior lefty Alexis Edwards started off the game retiring six of the seven batters she faced. Then in the top of the third, Kendall Woken led off with a single on a perfect bunt to third base. Clewett came up to bat and cleared the fence in left center to put the Tritons on top, 2-0. Clewett now has two home runs on the season.
The Otters threatened a comeback in the fourth. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Lopez singled downed the left field line to clear the bases and notched the game up at two apiece. But UCSD pulled ahead to secure the win.
Maday drew a walk in the sixth inning and advanced to third on a single by Ashley Chestnut. Maday then scored the go ahead run on a passed ball. Sophomore Bianca Devoto, who came in to pinch hit for Woken, singled to left field to drive in Baker, who was pinch running for Chestnut, and give UCSD an insurance run.
Edwards (6-0) finished the day going a full seven innings, giving up just two runs on four hits while striking out four batters.
The Tritons will finish up the four-game series Saturday with a doubleheader starting at 11 a.m.
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