LA JOLLA, Calif. – The UC San Diego baseball team dropped game one against University of San Diego 12-4 at Triton Ballpark. The Tritons fall to 1-4 on the season while the Toreros improve to 4-3.
Cameron Leonard was charged with the loss for the Tritons.
HOW IT HAPPENED
USD's Tora Otsuka was walked and Shane Mcguire drove him home with a homerun to right field in the first inning. The Toreros hit another home run in the following inning to take a 3-0 lead.
The Tritons scored their first run of the evening in the second inning when
Paul Gozzo hit a sacrifice fly to bring
Jackson Kritsch in. The Toreros would tack on two more runs at the top of the third to take a 5-1 lead.
Gozzo recorded his second RBI of the night when he singled down the left field line to cut into the Toreros lead 8-2 in the fourth inning.
Izaak Martinez came into pitch in the fourth and was able to keep the Toreros scoreless through the seventh. The Toreros loaded the bases up with two outs in the sixth, but Martinez was able to stay composed and register a strikeout to end the inning.
The Tritons continued to cut away at the lead with sacrifice out from
Blake FitzGerald to drive in the third Triton run of the day.
Brandon Stewart scored off a wild pitch and added the Tritons' fourth run with the Toreros leading 9-4 in the eighth. FitzGerald was walked to bring up bases loaded and no outs, but the Tritons were unable to capitalize as relief pitcher Kieran Shaw retired the next three batters. Three more insurance runs in the ninth proved to be too much for the Tritons to overcome.
FROM THE COACH
"I think the disappointing thing for me is that we did not play well. We didn't compete well at the plate. We didn't compete well at the mound early," stated Head Coach
Eric Newman. "It tough to win when you give up four runs on the mound and make four errors. We've got to come out tomorrow and the first thing we have to do is fix not catching the ball and be better offensively. We got to get that turned around so we have a chance."
TRITON TIDBITS
- Martinez finished the game with five strikeouts, two walks, one hit and no runs in 3.2 innings pitched with his five strikeouts matching a career high.
- The USD pitching staff recorded 12 strikeouts compared to the Tritons' six.
- Tate Soderstrom went 2-for-3 from the plate and was walked once.
- Gozzo had a team high two RBIs.
UP NEXT
The Tritons return to Triton Ballpark Friday for a 2:00 p.m. game.
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.
