TURLOCK, Calif. - The UC San Diego softball team started day one of the Tournament of Champions with a come-from-behind win over Hawaii Pacific, 4-3, and shut out Chaminade, 8-0, in game two at Pedretti Sports Complex Friday. In the final game of the day, the Tritons lost 8-6 to Dominican after a seventh-inning rally fell short.
The Tritons move to 18-13 overall. Freshman Lauren Sanders led the offensive charge going 4-for-10 at the plate with two home runs. Sanders now leads UCSD with four home runs and is two away from tying the 10th place single-season mark.
Game One
In the opener, Sanders hit a game-winning home run to help the Tritons come from behind to defeat the Sharks, 4-3.
Dorian Acierto plated the first run of the game to give Hawaii Pacific a 1-0 lead in the first. With two outs, Acierto reached base on a single and scored on a double to left center from Noelani Boyer.
The Sharks added to their lead in the third. Kiana Wolfe led off the inning with a solo home run to right field. HPU then took a 3-0 advantage after scoring on a wild pitch.
UCSD answered in the bottom of the frame as third baseman Rachel Phillips scored on a wild pitch after singling up the middle to reach base.
Still trailing in the sixth, Sanders had a crucial at bat to put the Tritons ahead. With Kristin George on second after leading off with a single to center field and Kendall Baker on first after drawing a walk, Sanders crushed a three-run home run over the center field fence. Sanders' fourth homer of the season gave UCSD the eventual 4-3 win over HPU.
Left-handed pitch Alexis Edwards was nearly flawless in the circle for the second half of the game. The junior gave up just one hit in the fourth then went on to work a perfect fifth, sixth and seventh inning, retiring the Sharks in order.
Edwards (8-3) finished with just two earned runs, five hits and recorded three strikeouts.
Game Two
With right-handed pitcher Hannah Duarte in the circle, the Tritons earned their fifth shutout of the season in an 8-0 win against Chaminade.
Duarte (8-6) allowed just eight runners on base on six hits and two walks and struck out a batter in her sixth complete game of the season.
The Tritons struck early as Sanders recorded her fourth RBI of the day. The freshman singled to right center to drive in Baker, who reached base on a walk.
In the second inning, George drove in her first of three runs, scoring Emily Sklencar on a fielder's choice to make it 2-0 UCSD.
UCSD scored one run in three straight innings. Starting in the fourth, George hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Taylor Abeyta, McKenna Clewett singled in the fifth to drive in Kelsi Maday, and Emma Schneider doubled to left center in the sixth to score George.
Even with a 5-0 lead over Chaminade, UCSD kept the runs coming in the seventh. Maday led off the inning with her fourth home run of the season. Then with Clewett on first thanks to a single, Sklencar picked up an RBI with a double down the left field line. George recorded the final run of the frame with a single to left center to bring in Sklencar.
Game Three
For the second time in one day, Sanders cleared the fence to put the Tritons ahead. After three scoreless innings, the Oakdale native homered to left center to give UCSD a 1-0 lead against Dominican.
The Tritons plated another run in the fifth. With two-outs, Baker, Schneider and Sanders drew three straight walks to load the bases. Then Maday drew the fourth walk of the frame to put UCSD up 2-0.
Dominican answered back by scoring four runs on four hits in the bottom half to take a 4-2 lead. But UCSD tied it up immediately after.
First baseman Ashley Chestnut used an infield single to bring home Sklencar and Schneider hit a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Phillips.
The Penguins scored four runs in the sixth inning to go up 8-4. The Tritons nearly came from behind in the seventh as Abeyta and Phillips each drove in a run. But the two runs weren't enough as UCSD fell 8-6.
The Tritons play two on Saturday starting at 10 a.m. against Western Washington.
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