LA JOLLA, Calif. – The No. 18 University of California San Diego softball team split a pair of California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) contests with Stanislaus State at Triton Softball Field on Thursday evening.
With the split, the Tritons shift to 14-5 overall and 5-5 in conference action, as the Warriors move to 6-9 overall and 5-5 in CCAA play.
Game One: UC San Diego 5, Stanislaus State 0
Triton starter
Robyn Wampler carried momentum from her appearance on Monday against Azusa Pacific and had all things working, this time against the Warriors.
In the bottom of the third, sophomore
Clarissa Reynoso (2-3) led off with a single up the middle. Freshman
Mikaila Pancino, receiving her third start of the season, successfully placed a sacrifice bunt that advanced Reynoso to second. Then, freshman
Sophia Real reached on an error and redshirt sophomore
Bobbi Aguirre singled to center to load the bases.
Junior
Sherriah Harrington was hit by a pitch to grab the first run of the game, but junior
Isabel Lavrov would commit the most damage with a two-RBI single to right field. Lavrov later generated another run upon attempting to steal second and lasted long enough in a Warrior rundown to allow the fourth run to come across.
The Tritons would collect their fifth and final run of the game in the bottom of the sixth. Junior
Brittney Ross-Smith capitalized on another pinch-hit situation and chopped a ball to first, deep enough to score Lavrov who reached on a walk earlier in the inning.
Wampler was brilliant in the circle. The Berkeley product tossed seven innings, allowing just two hits and recorded six strikeouts. After pegging a Warrior batter in the top of the third, Wampler retired the next 12 in order. It was Wampler's seventh victory and third shutout of the year.
The UC San Diego defense was errorless in the field.
Game Two: Stanislaus State 2, UC San Diego 3
In game two, Stanislaus State scored first. The Warriors garnered three runs on two hits, one which resulted in a two-RBI double.
Small ball was effective in the third for UC San Diego. Junior
Danica Kazakoff reached on a bunt, followed by another bunt from sophomore
Kinley Kyro to move her into scoring position. Freshman
Graci Dragoo, in her first collegiate start, attempted to do the same forcing a costly Warrior mistake. A fielding error from the covering second baseman brought Kazakoff around to cut the deficit to two.
In the bottom half of the fourth, Harrington lined a shot up the middle to get the offense started again. A ground ball to third base would do the job to put Harrington on second. Testing the Warrior catcher, Harrington took third on a ball out of the zone. Moments later, Kazakoff hit a ball hard on the ground to the left side that tipped off the third baseman's glove and allowed Harrington to come home.
But the Warriors held on to their initial three runs and would walk away with the triumph. Stanislaus State pitcher Kyndra Marzorini went the distance, allowing two runs and five hits.
Real led the Tritons at the plate going 3-for-4 with three solid pieces of hitting.
Three pitchers made appearances for the blue and gold. Starting right-hander
Alanna Phillips threw 2.1 innings, in which senior
Dominique Acosta delivered the other 0.2 and freshman
Kaia Simpson would go the remainder.
Simpson came in relief in the fourth and was ultimately the most effective pitcher for the Tritons. After entering, she surrendered 12 of 14 batters faced and gave up one hit. She also tallied three strikeouts.
Up Next
The Tritons will look to take the series over Stanislaus State on Friday, Feb. 21. Game times for the doubleheader are 1 p.m. and 3 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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