LA JOLLA, Calif. - Cal State Monterey Bay broke a 6-6 tie on an RBI fielder's choice groundout in the eighth inning, and held on for the 7-6 victory over UC San Diego in the finale of a four-game California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) baseball series Sunday afternoon at Triton Ballpark.
The result meant a split of the series for the Tritons, who had not just won the first two meetings, but done so in shutout fashion, 8-0 and 5-0, before the Otters came out on top in Saturday's doubleheader nightcap, 10-4. UCSD falls to 26-14 overall and 21-10 in the CCAA. With Cal Poly Pomona's 8-1 home win over Cal State East Bay earlier Sunday, and Cal State L.A.'s 6-5 loss at Cal State Stanislaus, the Tritons conclude the weekend in second place in the standings, just .002 percentage points (.679-.677) behind CPP (27-11, 19-9 CCAA). Fourth-place CSUMB improved to 24-16 overall and 20-12 in league play.
Sophomore outfielder Jack Larsen's team-leading fifth home run, a two-run shot down the right field line that stayed just fair, tied the game at 6-6 in the home seventh after Justin Flatt had singled to begin the frame. The Otters came out for the eighth, however, and got back-to-back singles to put men at the corners with nobody out. Ty Morris' ground ball to third base sent No. 9 hitter Devin Finn across the plate for what proved to be the game-winning run.
The Tritons struck first in the opening frame on Larsen's soft RBI single into right center after Gradeigh Sanchez had walked to lead off, stolen second and moved to third on a flyout. With runners still at the corners, the first of three double plays on the day for the visitors got them out of further trouble.
UCSD threatened again in the third. Flatt drew a four-pitch walk with one away, and the Tritons staged a perfect hit-and-run with Michael Mann poking his single through the right side as the Otter second baseman went to cover a running Flatt, who wound up at third. A comebacker and a flyout, however, kept the score at 1-0.
Monterey Bay kicked off a stretch of three straight three-run halves between the teams in the fifth. It began with a four-pitch walk to Finn, with RBI going to Morris, Chris Blanton and Curtis Gomez, and two of the runs unearned through an error.
UCSD's rally consisted of another RBI single by Larsen, and an infield single by Erik Lewis to tie the game, before the Otters' only error allowed the go-ahead score, 4-3.
CSUMB got that trio right back again in the sixth, on an RBI double by Brian Hamm and a two-run double by Justin Flores, both to left center, with Flores' to the opposite field. Javier Carrillo, Jr., (1-1) took over on the mound and induced two groundouts on six pitches, the first one a comebacker, to keep the deficit at 6-4. The senior right-hander then also set the Otters down in order in the seventh, but ultimately was pinned with his first losing decision of the season.
Chasing a run, Tyler Plantier (Poway/Del Norte HS) hit a long drive that was caught in front of the warning track in left to open the eighth. Tyler Howsley then followed Brett Levy's sharp opposite-field single to right by working a seven-pitch pitch, but a 5-3 twin killing ended that frame. The Tritons could muster nothing in the ninth.
Triton starter Troy Cruz (Chula Vista/Bonita Vista HS) allowed three runs, just one of them earned, on five hits and two walks over four-plus innings, striking out three. He left after facing three batters in the fifth without registering an out, having had a liner bound off of his leg on what turned into a 1-3 putout to end the fourth as the ball deflected straight to Mann on the bag. Cruz posted a 1-2-3 frame in that fourth.
Larsen finished 3-for-5 with his home run, two runs scored and a career-high four RBI. He also stole his eighth base on eight tries in 2015, and is now 10-for-10 on the bases for his college days. Mann was 2-for-5 with a run. Flatt scored a pair. Brandon Shirley made a tough catch diving forward in center on Gomez to start the seventh.
Kory Groves (2-1) tossed 4.2 stellar innings in relief to earn the win, allowing two runs on three hits and one walk, while striking out three. At the very top of the Otter batting order, Hamm was 2-for-4 with a double, two runs and one RBI, while Morris wound up 3-for-4 with a double, walk, two runs and two RBI behind him.
UCSD heads north to Turlock this week for another four-game CCAA series at ninth-place Cal State Stanislaus. First pitch for the opener on Friday, April 17, is set for 6 p.m. at Warrior Field. The Warriors just beat Cal State L.A. in a four-gamer at home, 3-1, and will first host Chico State in a make-up game on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
Triton Notes: Gradeigh Sanchez produced the oddity of opening all four games of this weekend's series with a ball, ball, called strike and ball en route to walks in the first inning ... Jack Larsen came to the plate with Tritons at the corners and one out in each of his first three at-bats Sunday ... Larsen's seventh-inning home run was his second of the series, both two-run blasts down the right field line ... Larsen ended the weekend set with eight RBI to just two by CCAA leader Kevin Davidson, now trailing the CSUMB first baseman by five, 45-40 ... UCSD split a four-game CCAA series for the first time in 2015, having previously won five and dropped one, with its set against Cal State San Bernardino still pending a finale in La Jolla on April 21.
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