SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - Fifteenth-ranked UC San Diego broke open a close game late and romped over Cal State San Bernardino, 10-1 in seven innings, to gain the split of a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) baseball doubleheader Sunday afternoon at Fiscalini Field. The Tritons struck out a season-high 15 times in suffering a frustrating 2-1 defeat in the first game.
With the results, the Tritons moved to 19-8 overall and 15-4 in the CCAA. CSUSB moved to 6-22 overall and 4-15 in league play. Though the defeat earlier in the day snapped UCSD's season-high and then-league-best win streak at six games, the nightcap assured the Tritons that they would not lose the four-game set. UCSD had taken the opener, 11-5, at home on Saturday night. The Tritons will go for the series victory back in La Jolla on Tuesday, April 21.
As 27th-ranked Cal State Monterey Bay (18-9, 14-5 CCAA) was swept in its twin bill at Cal State L.A. on Sunday, UCSD also thus ascended into sole possession of first place in the CCAA. The Otters and Golden Eagles conclude their weekend set on Monday in Los Angeles.
UCSD faces a road series next weekend at 2014 CCAA regular-season champion Sonoma State. The opener on Friday afternoon, March 27, is set for a 2 p.m. start.
Game One
UCSD loaded the bases in the very first inning on a pair of walks and a hit-by-pitch, bringing up centerfielder Brandon Shirley with the bases full in the opening frame for the second straight game. Having provided a three-run double on Saturday night, the redshirt sophomore popped out to end the threat this time around.
CSUSB advanced leadoff man Damion Edmonds to third base in its initial turn at-bat, through a single, sacrifice and stolen base, but junior right-hander Alon Leichman left him there by getting an inning-ending flyout. Again in the third, Kevin Meriwether singled with one out and swiped second with two gone, but Leichman induced the groundout to shortstop. Once more in the fourth, Aaron Owen singled to lead off, stole second and moved to third with two outs. Leichman got Dillon Fahr to pop up to keep the game scoreless.
UCSD produced back-to-back two-out singles in the third, but Coyote starter Tyler Wells got Troy Cruz (Chula Vista/Bonita Vista HS) swinging to get out of trouble.
The Tritons finally struck for the day's first run in the fifth, as junior designated hitter Gradeigh Sanchez led off with a single to left, wound up all the way at third on an error, and came home on a sacrifice fly by Erik Lewis. Michael Mann then followed with a double into the gap in left center, but Wells was able to curb the damage with successive called third strikes.
Senior left-hander Trevor Scott took over for Leichman to begin the home half, and after two groundouts, faced Coyotes at the corners thanks to a walk and infield single by Edmonds following a 12-pitch at-bat that featured six two-strike foul-offs. Unlike his predecessor, the senior left-hander was unable to wriggle out of that jam, as Ryan Rich's bunt single scored Meriwether from third to tie the game again.
Both Wells and Scott came and fanned the respective sides in the sixth inning.
UCSD almost regained the advantage in the eighth. Mann singled up the middle on an 0-2 count to lead off, but Daniel Diaz got Jack Larsen swinging and new pitcher Ruben Rios did the same to Cruz. Shirley's double down the left field line then moved both Tritons into scoring position, but Rios induced a flyout.
CSUSB loaded the bases in the home eighth on an infield single by Edmonds, one-out walk to Owen, and after Dan Kolodin relieved Scott, a first-pitch single to right center by Warren Fishback. Grant Buchanan, facing an 0-2 count, then lifted a sacrifice fly to right, giving the Coyotes their first lead of the series at 2-1. Dylan Mitchell worked a clean ninth with two strikeouts to pick up his first save.
Leichman scattered three singles over four shutout frames with no walks, striking out two. Both punchouts were looking, with the first coming in a 1-2-3 second. Scott (4-3) allowed two runs on three hits and two walks over 3.1 innings. He fanned four, three in the sixth, and also worked a perfect seventh with nine pitches netting three groundouts, the first two of them comebackers to himself. Everything was on the infield over Scott's 3.1 innings, with three infield singles, the two walks, four strikeouts, five groundouts and a popout.
Wells went 6.1 frames and gave up the lone run on five hits and three walks. The sophomore right-hander struck out 11, including two in a perfect second and again in the fifth, before getting the Tritons swinging in order in the sixth. He in fact fanned six in a row in between Mann's fifth-inning double and a one-out single by Sanchez in the seventh. Rios (5-1) earned the win in relief.
Sanchez continued his hot series after going 3-for-4 with two walks, two runs and two RBI on Saturday night. He finished 2-for-5 with a run scored. Mann went 3-for-4 with the double.
Game Two
The nightcap was scoreless through four innings before the Tritons erupted for their 10 runs over the last three. They took full advantage of four CSUSB errors to the tune of four unearned scores.
Cruz (4-2) took the hill and went five complete, allowing the one run on three singles without a walk while striking out five. He hit a pair of Coyote batters.
Shirley opened the scoring when he doubled to center to lead off the fifth, advanced to third on a wild pitch by starter Tyler Sloan, and after a groundout and a four-pitch walk to Tyler Howsley scored on a single to left center by Sanchez.
Rios relieved Sloan, and was greeted by Lewis with a first-pitch single to left to fill the bases with Tritons. UCSD extended to a 3-0 advantage as Mann lifted a sacrifice fly, and Sanchez came across on a Coyote error as Larsen reached via infield single.
Consecutive one-out singles put CSUSB runners at the corners in the home fifth. A double steal while Meriwether struck out looking, put the home side on the board. A groundout got Cruz out of the inning.
UCSD answered that run with a two-out, two-run outburst of its own in the sixth, with both scores unearned. Bretty Levy singled with two away, and wound up making it all the way to third on an outfield error. Howsley drove him in with a double to left center, and came across on an infield miscue on a Sanchez single.
Chad Rieser took over to begin the home sixth. Protecting a 5-1 advantage, he got two swinging strikeouts in between a pair of Coyote singles, before a fielder's choice groundout ended the frame. The senior left-hander would go on to toss a clean seventh with a pair of called third strikes around a flyout. He had four strikeouts.
In between, the Tritons tacked on five in their half of the seventh.
Larsen was 3-for-3 with a walk and a run, while Sanchez went 3-for-5 with a double, run scored and three RBI. Shirley wound up 2-for-4 with a double, two runs and two RBI. Howsley was 1-for-3 with a double, walk, RBI and two runs scored.
Sloan (0-4) gave up three runs, two of them earned, on three hits and three walks over 4.1 frames, without a strikeout.
Triton Notes: Through Sunday, Michael Mann is hitting .488 (21-for-43) since dropping down to a .200 average following the Feb. 24 loss at Azusa Pacific, with his season average now sitting at .341 ... Tyler Howsley's double in game two was his second of 2015 and second of his career ... UCSD has reached double digits in runs nine times during the current campaign.
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