SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – The University of California San Diego (RV) split a pair of California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) contests with Cal State San Bernardino on Monday afternoon.
The Tritons' record moves to 21-8 overall and 12-8 in conference action, while the Coyotes shift to 12-11 overall and 10-8 in CCAA play.
Redshirt sophomore
Bobbi Aguirre was 3-for-4 on the day with four singles, a walk, an RBI and two sac bunts, while junior
Isabel Lavrov collected two extra-base hits in five at-bats. In game two, freshman
Sophia Real led offensively, going 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and two RBIs.
Game One: Cal State San Bernardino 5, UC San Diego 4
The Tritons threw up a crooked number right away. To lead things off, Real was hit by pitch, her seventh of the season, and Aguirre was walked to put runners on first and second with no outs. After the next two UC San Diego batters were retired, Lavrov encountered a pressured situation, one which she has thrived in all season. With two outs, the junior found the left center gap to score Real and improved her team-high RBI count to 21.
The Coyotes evened the score at one after a leadoff solo shot to right center. In the bottom of the fourth, Cal State San Bernardino broke the game open with four more runs on three hits and capitalized on two Triton miscues in the field.
Showing their resiliency, the Tritons cut the margin to two with three big hits in the fifth. Aguirre got on with a single to left, senior
Mikaila Reyes doubled to left center and Lavrov walked. Then, sophomore
Keila Bosinger chopped a hard ground ball up the middle with the bases juiced to add two more to the run column, 3-5.
In the sixth, the Tritons continued to chip away. A long single to right field from Aguirre brought home Stedman from second.
Ultimately, the Coyotes held on and the Tritons came up just short. Wampler was handed just her third loss of the season. The lefty tallied five strikeouts and surrendered two earned runs on six hits.
The Tritons out-hit the Coyotes eight to six but left a total of nine on base which eventually haunted them in the end.
Game Two: UC San Diego 4, Cal State San Bernardino 3
In game two, the Tritons punched first once again. The run production was generated in the second inning this time. With the bases loaded and two outs, Real dunked a double down the right field line to score sophomore
Clarissa Reynoso and senior
Danica Kazakoff.
The Coyotes slowly answered back with two solo homers in both the second and the third. The home team piled on another on back-to-back singles in the third as well.
In the top of the fifth, junior
Sherriah Harrington went deep to center field to bring two more runs across. On top of giving the Tritons the go-ahead run, it was Harrington's second home run of the season and proved to be all her team needed from there.
Freshman
Kaia Simpson, receiving just her second start in the circle, tossed six innings. She allowed three earned runs on six hits and walked two. Simpson also tallied one strikeout en route her second win (2-1) of the year. Wampler replaced her in the seventh and retired the Coyotes in order for her fourth save of the 2020 campaign.
Up Next
Due to rain in the forecast, the scheduled games for Tuesday, Mar. 10 with Cal State San Bernardino will be postponed to a later date in the season. UC San Diego will return home to Triton Softball Field on March 23 to complete their California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) four-game series with Cal State San Marcos. Games are scheduled for 3 p.m. and 5 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.
Follow The Tritons
For complete coverage and information regarding UC San Diego Athletics, follow the Tritons online at UCSDtritons.com and through social media on Twitter (@ucsdtritons), Instagram (@ucsdtritons) and Facebook (ucsdtritons).
