LA JOLLA, Calif. – Down two in the bottom of the ninth, UC San Diego third baseman
Blake Baumgartner crushed a three-run walk-off homer to left field as the Tritons rallied for a 10-9 victory over visiting Santa Clara on Sunday afternoon at Triton Ballpark.
UC San Diego (3-9) and Santa Clara (6-9) split the four-game series in the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Santa Clara jumped out in front early as first baseman Jake MacNichols hit a first inning three-run homer for the second straight day.
Down 3-0, the Tritons clawed back in the bottom of the second inning. Third baseman
Michael Fuhrman hit his first career homer– a solo shot to left – to get the Tritons on the board. With two on and two out, shortstop
Ryan McNally laced a two-run single to left field to tie the score.
The Broncos regained the lead in the top of the fourth, thanks to back-to-back triples from Tony Boetto and Dawson Brigman, giving Santa Clara a 5-3 advantage.
In the top of the sixth, the Broncos plated three more to go up by a 9-3 score. In the bottom of the seventh, the Tritons drew closer when
Anthony Lucchetti doubled to right field, scoring
Brock Kleszcz and McNally. That extra base hit cut the deficit to four.
McNally led off the bottom of the ninth with a double, and Lucchetti singled him in to make the score 9-7. Junior catcher
Paul Gozzo singled, and one out later, Baumgartner took center stage.
QUOTABLE
After the game, head coach
Eric Newman and
Blake Baumgartner spoke about the win.
TRITON TIDBITS
- Baumgartner's blast was his 22nd career homer.
- The walk-off win was UC San Diego's first since April 20, 2019 when Aaron Kim hit a grand slam to lift the Tritons to a 7-3 win in seven innings over Cal State LA. Baumgartner scored the winning run in that game as well.
- McNally was 4-for-5 for the Tritons, driving in two. He hit .462 (6-13) in the series and Sunday's four-hit effort matched his career-high.
UP NEXT
The Tritons will break for final exams and return to the diamond on Friday, March 26, when UC San Diego opens Big West Conference play for the first time at Cal Poly.
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.
