LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego baseball dropped both games of a double header to No. 22 UC Santa Barbara. They fell 15-10 in game one and 15-5 in seven innings in game two on Saturday afternoon at Triton Ballpark. The Tritons drop to 8-19 on the season and 5-10 in the Big West while the Gauchos improve to 24-9 and 15-4 in conference action.
GAME 1
The Gauchos took a 3-0 lead in the second inning. Jason Willow hit a two-run RBI double and Gianni Bloom hit a sac fly.
Tyler Weiner registered the first hit of the game and
Marc Filia hit a home run to make it a one run game.
Blake Baumgartner poked the ball for a double down the left field line to bring
Jackson Kritsch to home plate and tie the game up.
The Gauchos recorded five hits and added four runs in the fourth inning, spelling the end of the day for
Noah Conlon. UC Santa Barbara hit a sac fly to score a run in the fifth and added another three runs in the sixth to take an 11-3 lead.
A three-run home run put the Gauchos up 14-3 in the seventh. Looking to continue the game past the seventh, the Tritons loaded the bases with one out.
Tate Soderstrom struck out, but a pair of two RBI singles from
Anthony Lucchetti and Logan White Jr. cut the lead to 14-7 and continued the game.
Michael Fuhrman laced an RBI single in the eighth to bring a runner in and Lucchetti followed up later in the inning with a two-run single to make it a 14-10 ball game.
The Gauchos would add a run in the top of the ninth and the Tritons were unable to rally in the final inning.
GAME 2
Jordan Sprinkles hit a double and was able to advance to third thanks to a Triton throwing error. He was able to advance home off a sac file to give the Gauchos a 1-0 lead.
After two strong innings of pitching,
Aren Alvarez gave up five runs on five hits. Fuhrman opened the bottom of the third with a home run to left field off the first pitch he saw to make it a 6-1 ball game in favor of the Gauchos.
An RBI from UCSB's Jason Willow made it a 7-1 game for the Gauchos. Baumgartner hit a solo homer to left field to get a run back for the Tritons.
A two-run homer from Jordan Sprinkles put the Gauchos up 9-2 in the sixth. With bases loaded and one out in the sixth, Baumgartner hit a 2-run RBI single. A single to right field from
Everett Lau reloaded the bases for the Tritons and
Aaron Kim drew an RBI walk to cut the Gaucho's lead 9-5.
The Gauchos put an end to the Tritons' comeback bid in the top of the seventh with a six run outing to take a 15-5 lead and win the game in seven innings.
TRITON TIDBITS
- Baumgartner registered his 150th career hit in game one. He also hit his 24th career home run which puts him in sole possession of ninth all-time in UC San Diego history.
- Weiner's hit was the first in his career.
- Lucchetti set a new career high in RBIs with four in game one.
- Cole Dale pitched a career high four innings in game one.
UP NEXT
The Tritons will wrap up their series with the Gauchos tomorrow, April 18 at Triton Ballpark. The game is scheduled for 1:02 pm and can be streamed on ESPN3.
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.
