SAN LUIS OPISBO, Calif. – UC San Diego baseball was unable to take the series sweep against Cal Poly and fell to the Mustangs 6-2 at Baggett Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The Tritons sit at 6-10 overall and 3-1 in conference action while the Mustangs improve to 12-8 and 4-4 in the Big West.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons bats were hot in the first inning with hits from Ryan McNally, Jackson Kritsch and Paul Gozzo. Gozzo and Tate Soderstrom recorded back-to-back RBIs to give the Tritons the 2-0 lead. In the bottom of the first, Cal Poly loaded the bases, Taison Corio hit a double to drive in two runs and the Mustangs took advantage of a throwing error from the Tritons to bring a third runner in and take a 3-2 lead.
 
A three-run inning in the third from the Mustangs gave them a 6-2 lead, their largest of the weekend.
 
After three innings, Nic Gregson's day was done. His final stat line was six hits, two walks, two strikeouts, and six runs -- only three of which were earned.
 
Michael Mitchell, Gredan Velasquez and Luke Mattson came out of the bullpen and held the Mustangs scoreless to give the Tritons a chance to come back.
 
The Triton bats never got going after the first inning and only registered two hits throughout the next eight innings.
 
FROM THE COACH
"Today, I thought we came out a little sluggish," stated Head Coach Eric Newman. "The first inning defensively was a pretty impactful moment in that game and we have to recognize that we won't play that poorly and not give up some runs. After that, we shored it up but just never got anything going offensively until the 8th."

"We are happy with how we played for 27 1/2 innings of this series. We need to grow as a group and be able to put together 36 as we learn to compete at this level."
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• The Tritons did not allow a home run during their series against Cal Poly. This is the first time all season they have not given up a homer in a series.
• Kritsch was the only Triton with a multi-hit day and went 2-for-3.
• The Tritons recorded two errors, both coming in the first inning.
• Cal Poly out hit UC San Diego 8-to-5.

 
UP NEXT
The Tritons will host Long Beach State for their first Big West home series at Triton Ballpark on April 2-4. Friday and Sunday's games will be on ESPN3 and Saturday's double header will be 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.