TURLOCK, Calif. - The 27th-ranked UC San Diego baseball team had the bases loaded in the ninth with one away, but was unable to push anything across and was edged in the finale of a four-game California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) series with Cal State Stanislaus, 2-1, at Warrior Baseball Field on Sunday afternoon.
UCSD dropped to 29-15 overall and 24-11 in the CCAA. Cal State Stanislaus improved to 19-23 overall and 14-18 in league play. The Tritons remain second behind Cal Poly Pomona (31-11, 23-9 CCAA) in the conference standings.
The Tritons had already clinched the series victory by posting three successive shutout wins, 11-0 on Friday night and 10-0 and 2-0 during Saturday's twin bill.
UCSD saw its shutout streaks snapped at 27 straight frames to begin the set, and 28 consecutive innings in all dating back to its series finale against Cal State Monterey Bay last Sunday. Both stretches matched the Tritons' longest of 2015, as they had previously registered three shutouts in a row against Cal State Dominguez Hills back in February.
UCSD collected a pair of two-out singles in the opening half, but a pickoff curbed that rally. The Tritons moved runners to the corners with two away in the third without benefit of a hit, but Andrew Hobson's deep drive was caught near the track in right.
After 27 shutout frames, the home side finally pushed a run across in the third, albeit of the unearned variety, and on a wild pitch, no less. Senior leftfielder Skippy Ferreria led off with a single and then made it safely to second on UCSD's first error of the weekend, with first baseman Michael Mann gathering a chopper and throwing wide of second. A first-pitch sacrifice later, the Warriors almost conspired to throw up another zero, as the batter whiffed on a squeeze play, leading to an out on the bases. With Scott Stetson facing a 2-2 count, Troy Cruz (Chula Vista/Bonita Vista HS) then uncorked what was just his second wild pitch of the season, allowing Ferreria to score from third. He struck out Stetson on his next toss.
Marcus Mastrobuoni's opposite-field double down the right field line with one away, preceded a single through the left side by Michael Chavarria to put Warriors at the corners in the fourth. Nick Molina's RBI single to right made it 2-0. With two still on, a pair of sharply-hit fly balls were tracked down by Justin Flatt and Brandon Shirley.
In the fifth, Tyler Howsley battled back from an 0-2 count, fouling one off before taking four balls to draw the leadoff walk from the No. 9 spot. Gradeigh Sanchez then poked a single through the right side, but Patrick Mulry threw behind Howsley to get the key out. A two-out double into the gap in right center by Mann put two Tritons in scoring position, but Hobson grounded out to end it.
Stanislaus threatened for more in the bottom half, but was unsuccessful. Back-to-back one-out walks put men at the corners, but senior catcher Brett Levy made the sprawled-out grab of a popped-up bunt attempt, and following a walk to Mastrobuoni to load the bases, Sanchez dove to snare a hard-hit fly ball in right.
Two Tritons reached with two gone in the sixth on a hit-by-pitch and walk, but came up empty again. They then got out of a situation in the bottom half, as an intentional walk to load the bases and set up a double play paid huge dividends, Javier Carrillo, Jr. inducing the first-pitch 4-6-3 twin killing off the bat of Nick Ippolito. The Warriors had gotten a lead double from Molina. A pitching change, bunt single and steal came before a lineout to Tyler Plantier (Poway/Del Norte HS) at third.
An understandably fired-up UCSD came right back out and halved its deficit. Sanchez drew a five-pitch walk for starters, moved to second on a one-out single to left by Mann, and sprinted home on a two-out single up the middle by Erik Lewis.
Carrillo expertly navigated through a shutdown seventh, dodging a leadoff Stetson single through a sacrifice, Mastrobuoni comebacker and groundout. The comebacker tested the senior right-hander, who initially had a bit of trouble picking the ball up, before tossing to Mann as he fell to the ground.
UCSD left the tying run at second in the eighth, with Levy hitting a one-out single up the middle, and pinch-runner Jack Larsen getting to second on Howsley's team-best eighth sacrifice before an inning-ending groundout by Sanchez.
The Tritons once again kept themselves in the game through an eventful home eighth. Molina singled to lead off and was safe at second on a second infield error, leaving two Warriors on with nobody out. Carrillo then cut down Molina at third on a sacrifice attempt, before exiting in favor of fellow senior Chad Rieser. The left-hander got Patrick Mulry to pop out on the infield and fanned Ippolito.
UCSD's last turn began with Shirley beating out a bunt single with Warrior closer Aaron Godinez slow in his play. Mann then worked a four-pitch walk and pinch-hitter Tim White laid down a first-pitch sacrifice. Godinez intentionally walked Lewis, before bouncing back from a 2-0 count to strike out Justin Flatt, and on his next pitch, getting Plantier to fly out to center for his team-best fourth save.
Over five-plus innings, Cruz (5-4) allowed two runs, one of them earned, on seven hits and one walk, striking out four. The junior right-hander was perfect through two, with a pair of strikeouts in the second. Carrillo matched the longest outing of his Triton career (2.1). Mann went 3-for-4 with his fifth double and a walk.
Freshman right-hander Blake Wilson (1-1) tossed 5.2 innings of shutout baseball on four hits. He walked three, hit two and struck out two, winding up with his first career win. Godinez came on for 3.1 innings with one run against on four hits and four walks. Molina was 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Stetson went 2-for-4 with a steal. The Warriors had 10 hits after managing just 11 over the first three games.
UCSD returns home by bus late Sunday and welcomes Cal State San Bernardino to Triton Ballpark on Tuesday night, April 21, to conclude that four-game CCAA series. UCSD holds a 2-1 advantage. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
Triton Notes: Gradeigh Sanchez started his 20th straight game in the leadoff position and second in a row in right field ... Andrew Hobson made a second successive start as the Triton designated hitter ... Justin Flatt's fourth-inning walk was his league-leading 34th ... The Tritons accrued 30 walks and six hit-by-pitches in the series ... Cal State Stanislaus was charged with six errors in the set, leading to seven unearned runs, while UCSD committed two, both in Sunday's loss ... UCSD had already on Saturday clinched the CCAA series victory over Stanislaus for the ninth straight year, since a 3-1 defeat in Turlock back in 2006 ... The Tritons had won nine straight over the Warriors prior to Sunday, and are still 31-6 against them since that 2006 series loss, and 24-8 in Turlock since joining the CCAA for the 2001 season.
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