LONG BEACH, Calif. – UC San Diego softball dropped two Big West Conference contests on Saturday afternoon to the league's second-place Long Beach State at LBSU Softball Complex. With the outcomes, the Tritons fall to 7-10 (4-4), while LBSU improves to 14-5 (10-1).
GAME 1: UC San Diego 0, Long Beach State 12 (5 Inn.)
The Long Beach bats were hot all day, beginning in game one. Four hits, two which were extra bases, gave LBSU a three-run lead in the bottom of the first.
The bleeding did not end there. The second inning was highlighted by an additional four hits for LBSU, as well as three costly errors by the defense. Five runs scraped across to quickly bring the score to 8-0.
A grand slam in the fourth for the home team put the Beach up by 12, and the game further out of reach.
Offensively, the Tritons struggled at the plate as LBSU's starting pitcher Shannon Haddad took a no-hit bid into the top of the fourth. Senior
Isabel Lavrov was able to break it up with a single to left field. Lavrov and junior
Keila Bosinger were hit by pitch and sophomore
Mikaila Pancino reached on an error to account for UC San Diego's four base runners in the game.
Freshman
Shelby Thompson was credited with the loss, moving to 0-2 on the season. LBSU's Haddad, who holds the second lowest ERA in the conference, picked up her seventh win.
GAME 2: UC San Diego 0, Long Beach State 3
Game two was all Long Beach as well. The LBSU clean-up batter belted a home run to left field for a 1-0 early lead.
In the bottom of the third, two more runners came across home plate after LBSU strung four hits together.
The Tritons threatened in the top of the fourth when senior
Sherriah Harrington singled to second base, followed by redshirt junior
Bobbi Aguirre's single to left. Stolen bases put runners in scoring position, but UC San Diego was retired in order to end the inning.
Triton starting pitcher
Robyn Wampler threw all six innings, surrendering only three earned runs, one walk and struck out two. However, the UC San Diego bats were unable to help out their senior hurler up at the plate and LBSU walked away with its ninth straight victory at home.
QUOTABLE
"Long Beach is a good team and kept us off balance," stated Head Coach
Patti Gerckens. "We have to make some adjustments and come back stronger tomorrow."
TRITON TIDBITS
- Saturday's doubleheader was the first softball matchup between the Tritons and the Beach.
- UC San Diego turned its eighth double play of the season in game one, tying Cal State Fullerton for second place in the Big West.
- Harrington's reached base streak ended at 12 games after the 0-12 defeat.
- Aguirre tallied career hit number 100 in game two of Saturday's doubleheader.
- Four Tritons were hit by a pitch on the day, moving the team's total to 20, good for third in the league.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego and Long Beach State will play another two games tomorrow, the first beginning at 11 a.m. and the second following at 1 p.m. at LBSU Softball Complex. The games will be live streamed 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 has begun a new era 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 II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 37 have garnered 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. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.
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.
