LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego got on the board with a pair of first inning runs, but Santa Clara scored four in the top of the seventh to rally for a 6-4 victory over the Tritons Thursday evening at Triton Ballpark. The Tritons are now 1-8 on the season while the Broncos improve to 5-7.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons wasted little time getting going, scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the first.
Brandon Stewart walked and stole second, and
Jackson Kritsch laced a double down the right field line to plate Stewart and get UC San Diego on the board.
Tate Soderstrom reached on an error, scoring Kritsch to give the Tritons a 2-0 advantage.
Freshman
Nic Gregson had a strong outing for the Tritons, allowing just one run on four hits over four innings, striking out four Broncos.
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Down a run in the top of the seventh, Santa Clara took the lead on a two-run homer to right from first baseman Ryan McCarthy. The Broncos added two more unearned runs and led 5-2.
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In the bottom of the inning, pinch hitter
Devon Hawks lifted a sacrifice fly to center that plated
Michael Fuhrman, making the score 5-3.
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Santa Clara responded with a run on a safety squeeze in the top of the eighth to go up 6-3. In the bottom of the frame,
Anthony Lucchetti hit a solo bomb over the wall in right to draw UC San Diego back within two, 6-4.
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Broncos' reliever Travis Howard struck out three over the final 1.2 innings to record his third save.
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FROM THE COACH
"I thought Nic pitched pretty well for us and gave us exactly what we were looking for. We're going to probably extend him in that role as a starter and see where it goes," said UC San Diego head coachÂ
Eric Newman. "The game came down to that seventh inning. After the home run, we've got to make plays. Unfortunately, we're really struggling right now defensively."
TRITON TIDBITS
- Freshman Nic Gregson made his first career start on the hill for UC San Diego.
- Gregson's four innings pitched and four strikeouts are both career highs.
- Fuhrman reached base in his first three plate appearances for the Tritons with a single and a pair of walks.
- UC San Diego's defense has committed multiple errors in a game five times so far this season.
UP NEXT
The Tritons and Broncos will meet for game two of the four-game set on Friday at 1 p.m. The game will be streamed live on BigWest.TV.
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions III and II and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.
Return To Sport… Safely
In order for UC San Diego scholar-athletes to be permitted to return to training and competition safely and within federal, state, local, and university guidelines, the athletic department implemented a number of measures designed to complement and enhance the university's highly-successful Return To Learn program. Notable actions include being physically distanced when practical, including during out-of-season training sessions; wearing masks, except when undergoing physically strenuous exercise; and maintaining proper hygiene. Athletes, coaches, and staff are testing at a higher frequency than the campus population, teams adhere to CDC, NCAA, and Big West Conference guidelines, and department officials participate in regular meetings with conference and university-affiliated physicians and the UC San Diego emergency operations staff.
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