Baseball 4/10/2016 3:00:00 PM UCSD

Tritons and Seawolves Split a Pair of One-Run Decisions

ROHNERT PARK, Calif. - UC San Diego and Sonoma State split a pair of tight one-run affairs featuring quality pitching in a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) baseball doubleheader Sunday at Seawolf Diamond.

The series was originally supposed to feature a Saturday doubleheader and single Sunday finale, but rain wiped out all of Saturday's action, with the teams having to settle for just a Sunday twin bill.

UCSD moved to 23-13 overall and 13-11 in the CCAA. Sonoma State is now 13-16 overall and 11-7 in league play. The teams had started the day in second place in the CCAA's South and North divisions, respectively, with the Seawolves entering as winners of six consecutive league home contests. The day's split kept the Tritons in second, while, with a Chico State home loss, lifted SSU into first.

For the second straight doubleheader to begin a conference series, head coach Eric Newman called upon a pair of true freshmen on the mound in right-hander Kyle Mora in game one and left-hander Preston Mott in the nightcap.

UCSD returns home to Triton Ballpark for a three-game series against SF State next weekend. The doubleheader on Saturday, April 16, is set for a 2 p.m. start.

Game One - UCSD 3, SSU 2
UCSD struck first in the opening frame as leadoff man Brandon Shirley was hit by starter Ryan Luna's second offering, swiped second with one away, and came around on an RBI single through the right side by Jack Larsen. Larsen then stole second with two gone, before Luna issued back-to-back walks to load the bases, the latter of the nine-pitch variety to Justin Flatt, who fouled off three two-strike tosses. Luna got JD Hearn swinging, however, to limit the damage to a single run.

Gradeigh Sanchez worked an eight-pitch walk to begin the third, with Larsen's second single in as many at-bats putting Tritons at the corners with no outs. Tyler Plantier's (Poway/Del Norte HS) team-best fifth sacrifice fly made it 2-0.

Sonoma State got that one back in the fourth, as Ryan O'Malley led off with a single, stole second with one away, and scored on a single up the middle by Adam Manzer.

The Seawolves produced two two-out singles in the fifth, and UCSD went to freshman left-hander Brent Bell to face the dangerous left-handed-hitting O'Malley. A fielder's choice groundout maintained the Tritons' slim 2-1 edge.

UCSD threatened in the sixth through a one-out Justin Flatt double and infield Hearn single, but consecutive comebackers to Luna left them stranded in scoring position.

For the second straight frame in the sixth, Sonoma State put two men on after two outs were made, via hit-by-pitch and single. Bell was able to throw three past Brett Sesma, the final one called, to get out of it.

Sanchez got himself to third base in the seventh as he walked with one away, and then stole second and scooted over to third on the catcher's throwing error while Larsen struck out, but reliever Aldo Severson then also got Plantier swinging.

In the seventh, SSU made it three straight innings in which two men reached base with two away. Jack Rupe, Jr. (San Marcos/Mission Hills HS) even went 0-2 to begin Daniel Caresio's at-bat, before throwing four straight balls and allowing a single to O'Malley to put Seawolves at the corners. On came Trey Ferketic, and UCSD went unscathed yet again, the senior right-hander inducing a fielder's choice groundout.

After Severson (0-1) struck out the side in order in the eighth, giving him five straight punchouts, four of them swinging, the home side finally was able to knot the score in the home half, getting an RBI double from Tyler Glenn on the heels of a one-out single by Spencer Neve. Tim Nelson recovered for a lineout and strikeout looking as the sides headed to the ninth deadlocked at 2-2.

Steven Coe (Valley Center/Valley Center HS) singled to lead things off in that ninth to finally break the stretch of futility against Severson. Tyler Howsley still managed to get the bunt down after taking two called strikes from new pitcher DeVon Golden. Golden won his battle with Shirley by virtue of a seven-pitch strikeout, but Sanchez took his next offering to center for an RBI single as UCSD regained a 3-2 lead.

Nelson (5-1) came back out for the ninth, and after a popout and strikeout, allowed an infield single to O'Malley that took a tough hop on Hearn at second base. With his next pitch, the true freshman right-hander out of Chino Hills product got Grant St. Martin to hit into a fielder's choice groundout for his fifth win in relief.

Mora allowed one run on six hits and no walks over 4.2 innings, striking out three. He fanned his first batter before working through a one-out double with a flyout and groundout. Mora left another Seawolf in scoring position, this time at third, in the second inning, getting a called third strike on Sesma after a one-out single, wild pitch and groundout. Mora's first 1-2-3 inning came in the third, with a couple of groundouts around his second swinging strikeout of leadoff hitter Matthew Richards.

Bell tossed 1.1 innings with a hit and hit-by-pitch against, and one strikeout. Sanchez went 2-for-3 with two walks, a run scored, one RBI and a steal. Larsen was 2-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base.

Luna went 6.0 frames, giving up two runs on five hits, three walks and a hit-by-pitch. The senior right-hander struck out seven, and put together a perfect second and fourth. Caresio went 2-for-4 with a walk and a double. O'Malley was 3-for-5 with a run and a stolen base.

Game Two - SSU 1, UCSD 0
After UCSD went down in order in inning one, Mott navigated through back-to-back one-out singles by inducing an around-the-horn, 5-4-3 double play off the bat of St. Martin.

The Tritons had something brewing in the third as Shirley reached via two-out infield error and sprinted over to third on a team-best eighth double by Sanchez down the left field line. Larsen flew out as the game remained scoreless.

Mott surrendered successive two-out singles in the fourth, but for the fourth time on the day, Sonoma State was unable to turn that scenario into any runs, Jackson Leslie hitting into a fielder's choice. He then ducked around his only walk, to O'Malley with one away in the sixth, thanks to a strikeout on St. Martin and a fielder's choice.

Plantier momentarily stopped the wizardry of Seawolf starter Haydon Turpin, lining an 0-2 pitch to the wall in left for a leadoff double in the seventh. Pinch-hitter Tim White sacrificed pinch-runner Christian Leung to third, and after an intentional walk to Flatt, Turpin got Hearn looking, and Leung was thrown out at the plate after a pitch got away from the catcher.

The home side came right back out and got a leadoff single from Bryant Cid. A groundout advanced him to second, and a single landed men at the corners. Rayson Romero lifted a sacrifice fly for the game's first run.

UCSD put runners at second and third in the eighth, with Howsley drawing a one-out walk and moving to third as the ball was thrown away on Shirley's bunt attempt. Sanchez chopped one straight to the first baseman for the second out, however, with Howsley not able to score. After Larsen was walked, Leung grounded out to second.

Mott (1-1) matched his season highs with 7.0 innings and five strikeouts, while allowing one run on seven hits and a walk. He dodged a leadoff single in the second with a strikeout, popout and groundout. Mott then collected his first perfect frame on 11 tosses in the third, with consecutive lineouts on the infield, the first requiring a leaping grab by Hearn at second, ahead of a three-pitch strikeout. He retired eight straight Seawolves between Richards singles in the second and fourth, and then required only eight pitches in a 1-2-3 fifth.

Redshirt freshman Cameron Kurz (Encinitas/La Costa Canyon HS) pitched a clean eighth with two swinging strikeouts around a flyout.

Turpin (3-1) went 7.1 innings and gave up no runs on three hits and two walks. He struck out seven, with one in each of the first seven frames. Turpin worked a clean first with a called third strike preceding a couple of groundouts, and retired the first five Tritons in all. He needed only seven pitches to get through a 1-2-3 fourth, and was also perfect in the fifth and sixth. Turpin set down 10 Tritons in a row from the third through the sixth. Cody Bennett registered the final five outs for his third save.

Triton Notes: UCSD is 22-3 in 2016 when it scores three runs or more, 1-10 with less than three, 8-5 in one-run games, and 6-7 on the road ... Tyler Howsley has started 93 straight games, all at shortstop, dating back to the 2015 opener ... Howsley and Jack Larsen are the only Tritons to start all 36 games in 2016 ... Gradeigh Sanchez is the only other Triton to appear in all 36 games, with 34 starts ... Steven Coe started both games of a doubleheader behind the plate for the second time this season ... Game One: Kyle Mora drew his third start, and first on the road ... Mora's second-inning wild pitch was his first on the year, now in 37.1 innings, with his shutout string snapped at 10.2 frames later with one away in the fourth ... Brandon Shirley was in the leadoff position for the first time since March 10 ... Shirley's first-inning steal was his team-best seventh on seven tries ... Jack Larsen's first-inning steal was his fifth in five tries this year and 19th without being caught for his career ... Justin Flatt's sixth-inning double was his fifth ... The steal by Sanchez in the seventh was his third in five tries ... Tyler Howsley's ninth-inning sacrifice was his team-best seventh, having also led the squad with 10 a year ago ... Game Two: UCSD used the exact same lineup for a second straight game for the first time in 2016 ... Preston Mott earned his team-leading ninth start, and just his second away from home ... Tyler Plantier's seventh-inning double was his sixth, with Tim White's ensuing sacrifice bunt his third ... UCSD was shut out for the fourth time this season in 36 contests, having been blanked three times all last year in 57.