LOS ANGELES - Fifth-ranked UC San Diego tallied five first-inning runs and barely closed out Cal State LA, 6-5, in the seven-inning finale of a four-game California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) baseball series Sunday at Reeder Field.
In gaining the weekend split, UCSD improved to 16-4 overall and 6-2 in the CCAA. The Tritons regain sole possession of first in the division. CSULA falls to 6-13 overall and 5-3 in league play. Cal State LA had won 3-2 and 9-1 decisions on Thursday and Saturday around a 7-3 Triton triumph on Friday night. Sunday's contest was of just the shortened seven frames, as it was originally intended to be the nightcap of a doubleheader. The schedule for the weekend was altered, however, to try to get around expected adverse weather, which ultimately did not prevent play Sunday.
After the home side had cut a 6-0 deficit to 6-4, even the last half was not without drama for UCSD. CSULA got a leadoff single from its No. 8 batter in Angel Sanchez. Freshman right-hander Kyle Mora got Isaac Dominguez looking, but Ryan Dixon poked a first-pitch, pinch-hit single to right to put the tying run on base. Mora then induced a fielder's choice groundout to third to cut the lead runner, but in an effort to get the game-ending double play, new third baseman JD Hearn threw it away, allowing pinch-runner Christopher Flores to score and make it 6-5, while Dakota Hernandez was left at second as the tying run. Mora then got Ryan Welker to ground out to junior shortstop Tyler Howsley, however, to earn his second save of the year.
The Tritons jumped right on top with their first three batters of the day. Gradeigh Sanchez drew a five-pitch walk, Jack Larsen reached on an outfield error, and Tyler Plantier (Poway/Del Norte HS) powered a two-run double into the left field corner on the first pitch he saw. Two infield errors, two singles and a sacrifice fly later, it was 5-0 with UCSD having sent 10 the plate.
Brent Bell, a true freshman left-hander, gave up three singles to begin the second, without a run coming across. That was largely thanks to his rightfielder, Larsen, who produced a pair of outfield assists. The junior first gunned down Christian Broussard, Jr., trying to extend a leadoff single into a double, throwing to his shortstop and former high school teammate Howsley. Sanchez then flew out to Larsen, who again went to Howsley to double up Paul Martinez at second.
UCSD added a sixth run in the third as Shirley laced an 0-2 pitch down the line in left for a one-out double, and scored on the ensuing opposite-field single to right by redshirt sophomore catcher Steven Coe (Valley Center/Valley Center HS) single.
CSULA had three more runners reach against Bell again in the third with less than two outs, getting an RBI single from Ryan Welker to tally its first run of the day. With Golden Eagles at the corners, Coe fired to Howsley to get Welker trying to steal. An RBI double by Nathan Navarrete, however, ended Bell's afternoon. Broussard's double down the opposite line in left cut the deficit in half at 6-3. Freshman right-hander Tim Nelson (2-1) finally got Martinez swinging to end the inning.
A leadoff Navarrete double and back-to-back groundouts pulled Cal State LA another run closer in the sixth.
Nelson wound up with a season-best four strikeouts and one run against on two hits in a season-long stint of 2.2 innings. He got a 6-4-3 double play to negate a one-out hit-by-pitch in the fourth. The product of Chino Hills put together UCSD's only 1-2-3 frame in the fifth, with a strikeout swinging, strikeout looking and groundout.
Bell allowed three runs on seven hits and one walk over 2.2 innings. He struck out one. Bell got the first man he faced staring at strike three, and got a pair of groundouts, the latter a comebacker, around a two-out single in that frame.
Coe was 2-for-3 with an RBI, with Plantier 1-for-4 with his double and two RBI. Shirley was 1-for-3 with a double, run scored and RBI.
Nate Adams (0-1) lasted just 0.2 frames in his CSULA debut, giving up five runs, one of them earned, on four hits and one walk. Brandon Zavala provided a perfect fourth through two groundouts and a strikeout against UCSD's 2-3-4 batters. He duplicated that feat in the fifth and set down his last 10 in succession. Zavala, Daniel Diaz, Jesus Farias and Gabriel Gentner in fact retired the last 14 Tritons in a row.
UCSD heads into a third straight four-game, split-venue series against a CCAA South Division opponent this week in Cal State Dominguez Hills. The teams will play single contests in La Jolla on Thursday, March 10, and Friday, March 11, with first pitches set for 6 p.m. at Triton Ballpark. A doubleheader will conclude the weekend at Toro Field in Carson on Sunday, March 13, beginning at 11 a.m.
Triton Notes: UCSD is a perfect 16-0 when scoring three runs or more and 11-2 when a true freshman starts on the mound ... Tyler Howsley has started 77 straight games, all at shortstop, dating back to the 2015 opener ... Brent Bell made his fourth start for UCSD ... Gradeigh Sanchez started as the designated hitter for the first time in 2016, and Tyler Plantier at third base for the second time ... Plantier and Brandon Shirley's doubles were each their third ... Plantier's two RBI pushed his total to 18, second on the team behind Jack Larsen's 22 ... Larsen's two outfield assists gave him three for the series and four on the year ... Steven Coe threw out his fifth would-be base-stealer in the third.
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