POMONA, Calif. - The 23rd-ranked UC San Diego baseball team had the tying run on base in each of the final four innings but ultimately dropped the finale of a four-game California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) series to Cal Poly Pomona, 3-2, at Scolinos Field on Monday night.
With the result, UCSD fell to 20-8 overall and 10-6 in the CCAA. CPP improved to 16-9 overall and 8-6 in the CCAA. UCSD had already clinched the key divisional series by taking the first three games. The Tritons were 6-3 victors in Pomona on Saturday night, before a doubleheader sweep in La Jolla on Sunday, 3-0 and 2-1 in seven innings. UCSD remained in first ahead of CPP in the South standings despite the loss.
UCSD put a pair on in the opening half on a one-out single and infield error, but couldn't convert as Bronco starter Ryan Alsworth got a strikeout and foulout.
A four-pitch walk made for a promising start for the home side in its initial turn. John Erhardt, making his first appearance since starting the season opener back on Feb. 6, got a flyout, strikeout and groundout from there.
CPP struck first in the second. Two singles were sandwiched between two ground-ball outs, but Jacob Bernardy lined a two-out RBI single to right center for 1-0. Still with Broncos at the corners and the top of the order up, redshirt sophomore catcher Steven Coe (Valley Center/Valley Center HS) threw out his 12th would-be base-stealer of the season and fourth of the series against the league's leader in thefts.
After two groundouts to begin the fourth, Coe continued to add to his breakout second on-the-field campaign as a Triton, absolutely hammering a 2-2 pitch from Alsworth over the fence in left field for his first college home run and a 1-1 game.
Kyle Lucke, who retired the first seven Broncos he faced in relief, gave up three successive one-out singles in the fifth to put the hosts back on top, 2-1. With two gone and runners at the corners, freshman left-hander Brent Bell entered and got Jared James swinging on three pitches to limit the damage.
The sixth started with Larsen dropping a 1-2 offering in front of rightfielder Daniel Pitts and Tyler Plantier (Poway/Del Norte HS) roping a solid single to left on Alsworth's very next toss. Christian Leung put the bunt down to move both Tritons into scoring position, but two swinging strikeouts around a pitching change stranded them.
Bell set the Broncos down in order in the home sixth, with centerfielder Brandon Shirley going to ground to make a slick catch on Nic Hernandez for the second out.
JD Hearn worked the count full against Tyler Rowe before drawing a leadoff walk in the seventh, but a sacrifice, groundout and strikeout kept him at third.
Pitts then started the home half by lifting a ball deep to left center that Shirley almost caught against the fence. It may have even been in his glove briefly, only to get dislodged, with Pitts sprinting around to third for his first triple of the year. A subsequent single past a diving Tyler Howsley and through the left side made it 3-1. Tim Nelson, a freshman out of nearby Chino Hills, took the hill and once again limited the damage to a single run with a sacrifice, called third strike and groundout.
UCSD loaded the bases, all on two-out walks, off of Rowe in the eighth. Hearn then worked tirelessly to draw a nine-pitch base on balls and force in Leung, but new pitcher Wyatt Shackleford got Howsley to fly out to right to keep a 3-2 lead intact.
Nelson got rid of CPP on seven tosses in the eighth on a well-hit flyout by James to Larsen in right, called third strike, and groundout with the right-hander covering.
Shirley drew a five-pitch walk to begin the ninth and bring up the top of the UCSD order. Gradeigh Sanchez bunted him over, but two groundouts ended the contest.
Erhardt allowed one run on three hits and one walk over 2.0 innings. He struck out one. The redshirt sophomore had the short outing on purpose in his return from the lengthy absence. Lucke took over and immediately turned in a perfect third on three groundouts, the big right-hander getting over to the bag to accept first baseman Justin Flatt's toss for the third out. Lucke (3-2) also tossed a 1-2-3 fourth, and went 2.2 frames with one run on two hits and one walk against him. He had one strikeout.
Larsen was 2-for-5, while Coe wound up 1-for-3 with his solo shot.
Alsworth (2-1) went 5.2 innings and gave up one run on four hits and no walks, fanning five. He had two 1-2-3 frames, in the second and fifth, the latter with two strikeouts. The sophomore right-hander had also started the non-conference meeting between the teams in La Jolla on Feb. 14, taking a no-decision.
The Tritons, currently on Spring Break, will head north to Chico on Thursday, March 24, for a three-game series at 27th-ranked rival Chico State. The set begins in primetime on Friday night, March 25, with first pitch at 6 p.m. inside Nettleton Stadium. UCSD has not traveled to Chico since the 2013 season.
Triton Notes: UCSD moved to 1-7 this season when scoring less than three runs, and 6-3 in one-run games … The Tritons finished 4-1 for this regular season against CPP, after dropping the final five meetings between the sides a year ago … Tyler Howsley has started 85 straight games, all at shortstop, dating back to the 2015 opener … Howsley and Jack Larsen are the only Tritons to start all 28 games in 2016 … John Erhardt drew just his third collegiate start, and second this year … Brandon Shirley took up the No. 9 position in the batting order for the first time in 2016 and seventh time in his college career … Tonight's first two Triton pitchers, Erhardt and Kyle Lucke, are the two tallest players on the 2016 roster, listed at 6-5 and 6-6, respectively … With one more tonight, Steven Coe has thrown out 12 would-be base-stealers this season, with four in this series alone against CPP, which leads the CCAA with 47 steals … Coe's fourth-inning home run was UCSD's eighth in 2016, and first in March, with the last one coming at home on Feb. 28 off Larsen's bat … It was just the second long ball on the road by the Tritons, who are now 5-3 outside of La Jolla … Christian Leung's sixth-inning sacrifice bunt was his first … Howsley's seventh-inning sacrifice was his team-best fifth after also leading the Tritons with 10 a year ago … The sacrifice hit by Gradeigh Sanchez in the ninth was his third.
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