SAN MARCOS, Calif. - Cal State San Marcos broke open a close game with a four-run eighth and beat UC San Diego, 8-2, in the finale of a four-game California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) series on Senior Day Sunday at CSUSM Baseball Field.
With the defeat, UCSD rounded out its regular-season schedule at 30-19 overall and 20-17 in the CCAA. CSUSM concludes its 2016 campaign at 23-25 overall and 15-21 in league play. The teams thus split the four-game series. They had split Saturday's doubleheader in La Jolla, with the Tritons getting blanked 4-0 before posting a 7-2 decision in the seven-inning nightcap. UCSD took Friday's opener in San Marcos, 11-2. This marked the first-ever CCAA series between the local foes, with CSUSM a first-year league member.
The home side scored the day's first run on a two-out RBI single to center by Austin Ott after L.A. Gamo had singled to lead off and moved to second on a groundout.
After starter Manny Barragan retired the first six Tritons in order, a leadoff walk to Tyler Plantier (Poway/Del Norte HS) ultimately turned into a two-run third for UCSD. Back-to-back one-out singles by Tyler Howsley and Tim White loaded the bases, and senior leftfielder Gradeigh Sanchez pulled a two-run single through the right side to go on top, 2-1.
A one-out single preceded a double into the left field corner in the bottom half as the hosts threatened to take the lead right back. They in fact did just that, as Ott roped an opposite-field two-run double into the gap in right center.
UCSD threatened in the fifth through a two-out White single and perfectly-placed bunt by Sanchez, but Barragan got Jack Larsen to ground out.
San Marcos doubled its advantage in the sixth thanks to a leadoff walk, sacrifice, right-sided groundout, and two-out RBI single to right. The Cougars then tacked on three more insurance scores in the eighth through two seniors. Gamo provided an RBI single and Brandon Bentson followed moments later with a two-run single.
Larsen moved to second in the eighth with one away after a hit-by-pitch and wild pitch, but pinch-hitter Brandon Shirley lifted a dipping fly ball that was caught by charging rightfielder Clinton Perez, and Steven Coe (Valley Center/Valley Center HS) followed with a flyout to deep center.
Jack Rupe, Jr. (3-4), a San Marcos native out of Mission Hills High School, went 3.0 innings and allowed three runs on six hits and one walk. The sophomore right-hander struck out two. Kyle Lucke took over and struck out a pair with a groundout to get around a one-out single in the fourth. The freshman right-hander then started a strike-him-out, throw-him-out double play to end the fifth after a leadoff single.
Sanchez finished 2-for-4 with two RBI. Howsley was 3-for-4, with a run scored. White went 2-for-3. The trio combined to produce all of UCSD's seven hits.
Defensively, White ranged to his right from second base and reached up high to snare a liner by Hudson Bilodeau for the second out of the second frame. Junior rightfielder Christian Leung added a tough catch in the gap in the seventh.
Senior right-hander Manny Barragan (5-5) gave up two runs on six hits and two walks over 6.1 frames, striking out four. He turned in a third perfect frame, on three groundouts and just five pitches, in the fourth. Senior left-hander Jordan Kunz got the final eight outs to pick up his first save.
UCSD hits the road Monday evening, traveling north to Stockton for the CCAA Championship. The six-team, double-elimination tournament runs Wednesday through Saturday, May 11-14. The fourth-seeded Tritons will begin the event in primetime with a 7 p.m. first pitch on Wednesday night. Their third-seeded opponent is Cal State Monterey Bay, which took two of three over UCSD in Seaside in late April.
Triton Notes: UCSD is 1-15 when scoring less than three runs in a game in 2016, and 8-10 on the road ... Tyler Howsley has started 106 straight games, all at shortstop, dating back to the 2015 opener ... Howsley and Jack Larsen are the only Tritons to start or even appear in all 49 games in 2016 ... Jack Rupe, Jr. earned his sixth start, and first since April 3 ... Steven Coe threw out his 18th and 19th base-stealers, in 37 tries, and remains second in the CCAA in that category ... Coe in fact broke the program's Division II-era (since 2001) single-season record, previously shared at 18 by David Morehead (2007) and Michael Benton (2008) ... JD Hearn was thrown out attempting to steal for the first time in the sixth inning, after nine successful tries ... UCSD turned two more double plays to give it 47 on the year, second in the CCAA behind CSUSM's 48.
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