SEASIDE, Calif. – The University of California San Diego softball team split a doubleheader with California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) contender Cal State Monterey Bay on Friday evening.

With the results, the Tritons move to 17-6 overall and 8-6 throughout CCAA action. The Otters move to 11-7 overall and 7-7 in conference play.  

The game one victory, in favor of UC San Diego, snapped a perfect 8-0 streak at home for Cal State Monterey Bay.

Game One: UC San Diego 8, Cal State Monterey Bay 0 (5 Inn.)
The Triton offense was highlighted by seniors Danica Kazakoff (2-2, BB, 3R) and Mikaila Reyes (2-3, 3RBI, BB), as well as junior Sherriah Harrington (2-3, RBI, BB, 2B, 1R).

Junior Robyn Wampler, who entered the series ranked fourth in the CCAA in ERA (1.09), continued to limit opponents in all aspects. In five innings, Wampler allowed just one Otter to reach second base as a result of a double that also ended up being the lone hit for the home team. 

In the top of the third, the Tritons got things started as senior Danica Kazakoff poked one through the middle. Sherriah Harrington was walked on five pitches, then senior Mikaila Reyes drove a ball through the left side to bring in the first run of the game.

The blue and gold were back for more in the fourth. With one out, sophomore Clarissa Reynoso was hit by pitch. Kazakoff worked a nine pitch at-bat that eventually resulted in a hard-hit ground ball through the five-six hole. Freshman Sophia Real wore a pitch to load the bases for redshirt sophomore Bobbi Aguirre. In back-to-back plate appearances, Aguirre and Harrington both singled to the right side to pick up an RBI apiece and put UC San Diego ahead by three.

In the fifth, with a runner on first, senior Danielle Stedman tapped a ball to the pitcher. An errant throw to second-base, rolled all the way to the center field wall. On the play, sophomore Keila Bosinger found home plate and a speedy Stedman went home-to-home to further accentuate the Otter miscue. Reyes collected her third RBI of the day when she roped a bases loaded single up the middle. Next, junior Isabel Lavrov followed with an RBI single to right center to put the mercy-rule in to effect as the Tritons led 8-0.

The Cal State Monterey Bay pitching staff struggled with control issues as seven Tritons were walked in game one. In addition, their defense had its own problems, committing three errors in the field.

Wampler finished the game with two strikeouts and faced three batters over the minimum (18) to improve to 9-2. She walked two and allowed zero runs.

It was the Tritons second consecutive mercy-rule triumph and the defense was errorless.

Game Two: Cal State Monterey Bay 3, UC San Diego 0
It was an initial pitching battle between Triton starter Alanna Phillips and Otter right-hander Cassie Gasper, a transfer from the University of Missouri.

Entering the game, the Tritons had scored 113 runs in 22 games, but could not drive one across in the nightcap of the doubleheader.

The Tritons' first of three hits came in the third when Harrington doubled to left center to extend her reached-base streak to 14 games.  

The Otters went on to punch first this time around. A leadoff walk and a beaned batter, followed by a wild pitch, led to one run in the bottom of the third for Cal State Monterey Bay. They scored two more in the sixth on two hits and a costly UC San Diego error.

UC San Diego had plenty of opportunities but left 11 on base in the event. Ultimately, the visiting Tritons came up short as Gasper kept their hitters off balance, striking out a total of nine.

In the circle, Phillips had limited her opponents to just one hit through four innings of play. She concluded with one strikeout, two walks and one unearned run allowed. Freshman Kaia Simpson replaced the senior in the fifth for her 12^th appearance this year. Simpson tossed two innings, surrendered three hits and gave up two unearned runs. She tallied two strikeouts in 11 batters faced.

With the loss, Phillips' record drops to 7-3.

Up Next
The Tritons will look to take the series on Saturday, Feb. 29 when they face the Otters at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The contests will be played at Otter Sports Complex in Seaside, Calif.

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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