SEASIDE, Calif. – The No. 14 University of California San Diego softball team split a pair of California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) contests with Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday. As a result, the overall series goes down as a 2-2 split as well.
The Tritons' record shifts to 18-7 and 9-7 in the CCAA, while the Otters move to 12-8 overall and 8-8 in conference competition.
Game Three: UC San Diego 8, Cal State Monterey Bay 3
The Tritons put up a crooked number right out of the gates. Two hit by pitches and three walks, on top of sophomore
Keila Bosinger's RBI single to right field, contributed to a three-run inning early on.
In the bottom half of the third, the Otters came within one. A leadoff single and a two-run homerun would do the damage.
More scoring developed in the fourth for the blue and gold. Another beaned batter and a base on balls drawn by sophomore
Clarissa Reynoso and senior
Danica Kazakoff, respectively, put the Tritons in business. With no outs, freshman
Sophia Real singled up the middle to move everyone another 60-feet. Two more runs were counted as a result of a wild pitch and an Otter error in the field. Then, senior
Mikaila Reyes roped her second double of the day to secure the seventh run for her team.
Junior
Isabel Lavrov found a way on by a five pitch walk in the sixth and stole second immediately after. Her two steals on the day put her second best on the team (12-16) and nearly matched her single season career high (13) with numerous games remaining. Bosinger recorded her second RBI of the game with a gapper that skimmed the left fielder's glove, allowing Lavrov to find home plate and cushioned the Triton advantage.
Wampler worked her way out of a few jams throughout the contest as the Otters reached base at least twice in every inning. A seasoned competitor, Wampler was unphased and finished the game with six strikeouts. The lefty surrendered two runs on six hits and three uncharacteristic walks but garnered her 10
th victory in 2020.
Freshman
Kaia Simpson entered in relief in the bottom of the seventh to close the door. Simpson tossed 1.0 innings, gave up one hit and one run and tallied a strikeout.
Demonstrating patience at the plate, the Tritons drew seven walks as a team. They also out-ran the Otters four steals to none.
Game Four: Cal State Monterey Bay 8, UC San Diego 0 (5 Inn.)
Similar to Friday's scoring sequence, the Otters attacked first in game two of the doubleheader. Three hits led to one run in the bottom of the first for the rival.
Senior
Alanna Phillips amassed her 100
th career strikeout during the contest. The milestone came in the bottom of the second as she sent an Otter down swinging.
Once again, the Tritons struggled offensively against Otter right-hander Cassie Gasper and were held hitless through three innings of play. Junior
Sherriah Harrington produced the first and only hit for UC San Diego when she drove one up the middle in the top of the fourth.
A big third inning generated six more runs for the Otters, extending the margin to seven.
Phillips was relieved by fellow classmate
Dominique Acosta in the third who was then replaced by freshman
Kaia Simpson that same inning. However, neither reliefs lasted long. In a bases loaded one-out jam, Phillips returned to the circle in the fourth and successfully avoided more harm in the pressured situation.
But it was all Otters the rest of the way as the Tritons kept silent in the box. Ultimately, Cal State Monterey Bay won in walk-off fashion thanks to a bases loaded single down the left field line. The eighth run came across to put the mercy-rule in effect.
It was the second game in the four-game series to end in five. Phillips moves to 7-4 with the loss.
Up Next
UC San Diego will return home to La Jolla to host Cal State San Marcos on Wednesday, Mar. 4 in a doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m. To close out the series, the second doubleheader against the Cougars will be played on Mar. 23. This upcoming week will be highlighted by an exhibition game between the Tritons and Team USA on Mar. 8 in Irvine, Calif. as part of the Stand Beside Her Tour.
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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