LA JOLLA, Calif. - The 22nd-ranked UC San Diego baseball team rallied from an early 4-1 deficit to top Cal State L.A., 7-4, to open a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) doubleheader on Senior Day Saturday at Triton Ballpark. The visiting Golden Eagles returned the favor in the seven-inning nightcap, scoring twice in that seventh to knot the score at 2-2 before pushing across a decider in the eighth for a 3-2 victory, and a split of both the twin bill and the four-game weekend series.
The result moved UCSD to 32-17 overall and 27-13 in the CCAA. With Cal Poly Pomona (36-13, 28-11 CCAA) already having completed a doubleheader sweep at SF State earlier in the day to take a 3-0 lead in that set, Saturday's nightcap defeat by the Tritons secured the outright CCAA regular-season title for the Broncos. UCSD will be either the No. 2 or No. 3 at this week's four-team CCAA Championship in Stockton, depending on Cal State Monterey Bay's home contest Sunday against Sonoma State. Cal State L.A. completed its season at 28-20 overall and 23-17 in league play. The Golden Eagles won 3-2 on Thursday, and the Tritons 6-1 the following night, both in Los Angeles, to kick off the match-up.
Eight Triton seniors were recognized in between games Saturday, in Javier Carrillo, Jr., Brian Choi, Dan Kolodin, Brett Levy, Erik Lewis, Michael Mann, Chad Rieser and Trevor Scott. All saw action on the day except for fourth-year left-hander Scott, who was the winning pitcher on Friday night.
UCSD will travel by bus to Stockton on Wednesday, May 6, and open defense of its record sixth CCAA tournament banner from a year ago on Thursday evening, May 7. The Tritons are expected to play in the later game, with a likely start time of 7 p.m., as either the second or third seed. They would secure the second seed should CSUMB lose on Sunday. In the event of an Otter win, tiebreakers would go into effect, with the teams having split their regular-season meetings. Either way, UCSD will open with Monterey Bay. The 2015 CCAA Championship will be held at neutral-site Klein Family Field on the campus of the University of the Pacific, with the winner earning the CCAA's automatic berth into the 48-team NCAA Championship. That field will be announced live on NCAA.com on Sunday, May 10, at 7 p.m.
Game One
Cal State L.A. jumped out to leads of 3-0 after half an inning and 4-1 after two in the first game, before the Tritons tallied six unanswered runs for the win.
Kolodin (4-1) came on in relief and struck out a season-high eight batters over 4.2 innings, earning the decision. The right-hander allowed one run on five hits and one walk. His third strikeout, of Dakota Hernandez in the third on three pitches for the second out, marked UCSD's program-record 386th, eclipsing the 385 of the 2010 national runner-up squad. Kolodin also fanned the side in the fifth around a two-out walk, getting Hernandez swinging for a second time.
Redshirt freshman John Erhardt turned in UCSD's only perfect frame of the game, getting a pair of flyouts before covering the first-base bag on a groundout and picking up his third save. In between, Rieser came into a two-on, one-out situation in the seventh with the Tritons up 6-4 and the tying run on first, and on his second pitch, induced a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
The Tritons immediately turned around and added an insurance tally in the home half. Troy Cruz (Chula Vista/Bonita Vista HS) worked a four-pitch walk to lead off, Justin Flatt slapped an opposite-field single to left, Brandon Shirley laid down a first-pitch sacrifice, and Levy lifted a sacrifice fly one toss later.
True freshman right-hander Jack Rupe, Jr. (San Marcos/Mission Hills HS) relieved Rieser in the eighth, again with two Golden Eagles on base and one away. After pinch-hitter Josh Guerra worked the count full and drew a walk to load the bags, Rupe induced a flyout to shallow right, with CSULA not testing Jack Larsen's arm, before striking out pinch-hitter Trevor Meleski swinging on three pitches.
The Tritons turned things around trailing 4-2 in the fourth. Levy and Tyler Howsley produced successive one-out singles before junior leftfielder Gradeigh Sanchez powered a three-run home run over the wall in right center. Following two walks around a pitching change, Larsen's single up the middle on a 3-2 toss made it 6-4.
Game Two
The nightcap saw the opposite outcome. Cruz looked to be in full command on the mound through six shutout frames, before the Golden Eagles struck for a pair of runs to level matters, 2-2, in the seventh. After the Tritons went down in order in the home half to send the contest into extra innings, Cal State L.A. pushed across a single run in the eighth. UCSD was unable to answer in its turn, once again getting retired in order.
Cruz did not factor in the decision, as Rieser (0-1) was ultimately the tough-luck loser. The junior right-hander allowed the first two runs on seven hits, walking none and striking out five. He set down nine straight between successive one-out singles in the first, until a one-out Hernandez single in the fourth.
UCSD had single scores in the second and third, both on sacrifice flies. Three straight sharply-hit one-out knocks, all to right, with Shirley and Choi going to the opposite field, loaded the bases for Howsley's fly ball. Sanchez opened the third with a double to right, moved to third on a Lewis single, and came home on Michael Mann's flyout.
Two of the three Golden Eagles runs, unfortunately, came on blooped singles that found grass in and among Triton fielders. The first one put the visitors on the board after successive hits to open the seventh frame had chased Cruz in favor of Carrillo, Jr. After a sacrifice and an intentional walk loaded the bases, Ryan Welker sent a hard shot down the line that Mann gloved nicely before stepping on the first-base bag. He then fired home to try for the double play, but Kyle Peralta beat the throw.
Cal State L.A. had men at first and second with two gone in the eighth, when Lawrence Rodriguez dropped the decisive hit into center. Rieser got a called third strike to keep the damage to that one run, but the Tritons could muster nothing in their half. Carrillo, Jr., registered a pair of outs without a run against in each game.
Redshirt freshman Tim White, making his first collegiate start at second base, started a 4-6-3 double play to end the fourth after a one-out single by Hernandez.
Triton Notes: Gradeigh Sanchez has started 25 straight games in the leadoff position ... The game-one home run by Sanchez was the first of his career that travelled over the fence, as he produced an inside-the-park home run at Cal State East Bay as a sophomore a season ago on March 28, 2014 ... Dan Kolodin's eight strikeouts fell one shy of matching his career high of nine at home against Cal State Stanislaus on Feb. 16, 2013 ... After 101 starts in a Triton uniform all coming at second base, Erik Lewis made his first start at third base in game two ... Jack Larsen had a stolen base in each game, giving him 10 on 10 attempts in 2015, and a perfect 12 on 12 for his career ... With eight more walks, UCSD increased its nation-leading season total to 265 ... With 16 strikeouts today by its pitching staff, UCSD increased its league-leading season total to 399, extending the program record ... The Tritons finished the 2015 CCAA slate 7-1 in conference sets, with a pair of 2-2 splits.
#TritonsRising
