LA JOLLA, Calif. - Fifth-ranked UC San Diego evened its four-game California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) series with Cal State LA by virtue of a 7-3 victory Friday night at Triton Ballpark.
UCSD improved to 15-3 overall and 5-1 in the CCAA. The Tritons moved back into sole possession of first place in the South Division. CSULA fell to 5-12 overall and 4-2 in league play. The Golden Eagles had won four straight on the heels of 11 consecutive losses. The string of successes had included a 3-2 walk-off triumph in 11 innings over the Tritons in the series opener in Los Angeles on Thursday night.
Senior leftfielder Gradeigh Sanchez and redshirt junior centerfielder Brandon Shirley had the key hits of the night in the form of a two-run triple in the fourth and a two-run single in the seventh, both to the opposite field.
Alon Leichman (2-0) went 6.0 innings and allowed three runs, two of them earned, on eight hits and a walk. He struck out three. Leichman threw a perfect first. With one run already in and Golden Eagles at the corners in the fourth, he got Armett Johnson looking to keep the game tied. UCSD took the lead for good in the home half.
After CSULA opened the scoring with a two-out rally in the second consisting of three successive hits which culminated with an RBI single to left that fell just in front of Sanchez, UCSD got the run right back in the bottom. Vince Mori (Oceanside/Palomar College/Westview HS) led off with a single, moved all the way to third on a dropped fly ball by Johnson in left, and scored on JD Hearn's sacrifice fly. Mori himself then gave the Tritons their first lead on a sacrifice fly in the third, scoring Tyler Howsley who had began the frame with a single through the left side.
The visitors tied the game a final time in the fourth, but Sanchez provided the triple in the Tritons' turn at the plate, taking an 0-1 pitch to the gap in left center with Tyler Durna and Howsley on base.
The teams traded single unearned runs in the sixth. Cal State LA got its tally on a sacrifice fly following a leadoff hit-by-pitch, stolen base and throwing error. Hearn then led off with a hit-by-pitch, advanced to second on a groundout, and scored after Howsley's opposite-field single was mishandled by rightfielder Ryan Welker.
Shirley effectively shut the door in the seventh. Upset after coming agonizingly close to making a spectacular game-winning catch in the 11th Thursday night that fell for a two-run, walk-off double, he dropped his two-run single down the right field line with Jack Larsen and Justin Flatt coming across. Shirley finished 1-for-3 with a walk, two RBI and two stolen bases.
True freshman Tim Nelson and redshirt freshman Cameron Kurz (Encinitas/La Costa Canyon HS), both also right-handers, combined to toss three one-hit, shutout innings, with Nelson going a season-long 2.0 frames and Kurz taking a 1-2-3 ninth. Nelson got Johnson swinging to end the eighth with runners at first and second after a single and a walk, both with two outs.
Larsen was 2-for-5 with a run scored. Sanchez had the two RBI with his lone hit on the night, the triple. Howsley went 2-for-4 with two runs.
Johnson had three of four CSULA strikeouts. Nathan Navarrete scored all three runs. Starter Christian Broussard, Jr. (1-3) took the loss.
Game three of the series has a 2 p.m. start Saturday afternoon at Triton Ballpark.
Triton Notes: UCSD is 15-0 when scoring at least three runs ... Tyler Howsley has started 75 straight games, all at shortstop, dating back to the 2015 opener ... Alon Leichman made his 17th start for UCSD ... JD Hearn made his first appearance at second base as a Triton, starting the contest there, after playing exclusively at third base so far this season ... The fourth-inning triple by Gradeigh Sanchez was his first this year and third of his career ... UCSD increased its league-leading total to 10 triples, matching its output from 57 games in 2015 ... Brandon Shirley's two steals gave him a team-leading four on the year, on four attempts.
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