CARSON, Calif.—The No. 6 University of California San Diego softball team fell in a pair of California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) games to Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday afternoon.
Game one finished in a thrilling, extra inning contest 5-4, while game two of the doubleheader concluded 6-1, both in favor of the Toros.
The Tritons' record moves to 9-4 and 2-4 in conference action. The Toros improve to 9-3 overall and 2-0 in CCAA play.
Game One: Cal State Dominguez Hills 5, UC San Diego 4 (9 Inn.)
In game one, sophomore
Keila Bosinger led the Triton offense going 3-for-5 with a pair of singles and a double. In addition, junior
Sherriah Harrington largely contributed to the run production with a team-high of two RBIs throughout the nine innings. Senior
Danica Kazakoff and freshman
Sophia Real each had one RBI apiece.
Harrington got the Tritons on the board early with a solo home run to left center in the top of the second. Cal State Dominguez Hills bounced back in the third and took the lead 2-1, on two hits and a couple of errors from the UC San Diego defense. The Toros grabbed another run in the bottom half of the fourth to increase the margin to two.
However, the UC San Diego resiliency became apparent yet again.
In the top of the fifth, junior
Isabel Lavrov poked a single through the middle. Next, sophomore
Clarissa Reynoso doubled down the left field line and the Tritons were in business with runners on second and third, and no outs. Kazakoff placed a bunt down third in which Lavrov read perfectly, speeding home after the throw to first was made. Chipping away, Real chopped a ground ball to second to allow Reynoso to cross home plate and cut the deficit to one.
The sixth inning began with Bosinger legging out a blooper to left field for a double. Senior
Mikaila Reyes advanced her to third, leaving Harrington in another position to execute more damage on the day. A fly ball to left field would suffice for the first baseman's second RBI of the day as Bosinger tagged safely to even the score at 4-4.
Junior left-handed pitcher
Robyn Wampler worked out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the sixth carrying momentum into the seventh but the Tritons could not string enough hits together to capitalize at the plate. Wampler later retired the side to force extra innings.
While the Tritons threatened in the eighth and ninth, the blue and gold ultimately came up short. The Toros would walk it off in the bottom of the ninth to take the win.
Overall, the Tritons led Cal State Dominguez Hills in hits 10 to nine, but surrendered three errors in the field. Wampler tossed 8.1 innings, allowing three earned runs on nine hits. The lefty struck out four.
Game Two: Cal State Dominguez Hills 6, UC San Diego 1
Freshman
Kaia Simpson garnered her first collegiate start on the bump for UC San Diego, while senior
Dominique Acosta made her second appearance of the season.
In her first at-bat of game two, Reyes recorded her 100
th career hit as a Triton.
Characteristically, UC San Diego punched first. In the top of the third, Bosinger singled to right field and stole second. Harrington flied out to right in which Bosinger aggressively took two bases to help the Tritons jump out to a 1-0 advantage. It was Harrington's third RBI of the day, yet the Tritons lone run of the game.
Cal State Dominguez got even their next time up. Three hits and a hit by pitch yielded two runs. The Toros captured another run in the fourth and three more in the sixth.
Simpson went 4.1 innings and gave up three earned runs on six hits and struck out four. Acosta gave up three runs as well.
The Toros edged the Tritons seven to six in hits. UC San Diego had opportunities but left a total of seven on base.
Up Next
UC San Diego will look to even the series on Saturday, Feb. 15. First pitch of the doubleheader is set for 12 p.m.
About UC San Diego Athletics
With 30 national team championships, nearly 150 individual titles and the top student-athlete graduation rate among Division II institutions in the United States, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program annually ranks as one of the most successful in the country. The Tritons sponsor 23 intercollegiate sport programs that compete on the NCAA Division I and II levels and, in summer 2020, will transition into full Division I status as a member of the Big West Conference. UC San Diego student-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent. A total of 82 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 37 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. In competition, more than 1,300 UC San Diego student-athletes have earned All-America honors.
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