HAYWARD, Calif. - With two outs and bases loaded in the fifth inning, Ashley Chestnut came in to pinch hit for the Tritons. The sophomore didn't disappoint. Chestnut hit a grand slam in the series opener for her first career home run to give UC San Diego a 10-0 win in five innings against Cal State East Bay at Pioneer Softball Field Friday. The Tritons then came from behind in game two to win 2-1 in 10 innings.
With the sweep, UCSD moves to 24-20 overall with a 14-16 record in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), while CSUEB drops to 23-22 on the season with a 11-19 league mark.
Game One
The Tritons got on the board quickly against the Pioneers. Freshman Kendall Baker led off the game with a single, and Emma Schneider followed in the next at bat with her fourth homer of the year for a 2-0 lead in the first. Schneider now joins Lauren Sanders and Kelsi Maday as the team leaders in home runs.
UCSD then tacked on two more in the next frame. Taylor Abeyta and Rachel Phillips reached on a walk and a hit-by-pitch, respectively. Then thanks to a throwing error from the Pioneers trying to stop a double steal, Abeyta scored. Phillips moved over to third on a sacrifice bunt by Kristin George and later scored when Baker reached on a fielding error.
Left-handed pitcher Alexis Edwards put on a stellar performance in game one giving up only one hit. After giving up just one walk in the first inning and the Pioneers' lone hit in the second, Edwards worked a perfect frame in the third. She allowed just one more walk in both the fourth and the fifth inning to earn her first one-hit complete game.
In the fifth inning, the Tritons scored their final six runs to mercy rule the Pioneers. Maday hit a RBI single to drive in Baker from second. Sanders then got her first RBI of the night on a double to right field. McKenna Clewett was hit by a pitch and Abeyta drew her second walk of the game to load the bases. Head coach Patti Gerckens turned to Chestnut to pinch hit for Phillips, and Chestnut sealed the 10-0 mercy rule win by clearing the fence in centerfield.
Game Two
CSUEB took its first lead of the day in game two. After two scoreless innings from right-handed pitcher Hannah Duarte, Marston singled through the left side to score Gonzalez. Duarte kept her composure and got out of the inning while stranding three runners on base.
The pitching duel between Duarte and Perlich continued until the sixth inning. The Tritons tied up the game 1-1 when Schneider drove in Emily Sklencar, who reached earlier on a single, on a double to right field.
Duarte worked another scoreless frame in the bottom of the inning before Edwards returned to the circle to relieve the Long Beach native. Edwards (11-8) held off the Pioneers for three innings before the Tritons took the lead.
After leaving the bases loaded in the ninth, UCSD scored the winning run in the 10th. With two outs and Bianca Devoto on second after reaching on a single, Sanders singled to left center to win the game 2-1.
The Tritons will conclude the four-game series against the Pioneers tomorrow with a doubleheader starting at 11 a.m.
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