LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego baseball split its double header against Long Beach State on Friday April 2 at Triton Ballpark. The Tritons won a back and forth game one 11-10 but could not get their offense going in a 6-1 loss in game two. UC San Diego is now 7-12 on the season and 4-3 in Big West play while Long Beach State sits at 5-6 on the season and in conference action.
GAME ONE
Long Beach got on the board first when Javier Rosales singled to left field to drive in a runner and take a 1-0 lead.
After catching the line out to end of the top of the third,
Ryan McNally laced a single to left field and
Brandon Stewart was able to score from second to tie the game up. The Tritons loaded up the bases thanks in part to two Tritons getting hit by a pitch.
Blake Baumgartner hit a single to left field to add a run,
Marc Filia drew an RBI walk and
Aaron Kim launched a two-run double to left field. The five runs recorded in the third forced the Dirtbags to pull Alfredo Ruiz.
Long Beach's Jonathan Long hit a run scoring double to cut the lead to 5-2 in the top of the fourth.
Filia registered his second RBI of the day with a hit to right field in the bottom of the fifth. McNally recorded his second hit of the day to bring Filia in to score and extend the Triton lead to 7-2.
The Dirtbags put together a seven-run inning in the sixth to take the lead at 9-7. In the bottom of the inning,
Jackson Kritsch scored on a wild pitch to come within one.
The Tritons reclaimed the lead when Baumgartner hit a two-run double and scored to increase the lead to 11-9.
Michael Mitchell came into the game in a save situation with the Triton lead in the eighth. While the Dirtbags would add a run from an RBI walk, Mitchell preserved the lead and registered four punch outs in the process.
GAME TWO
A double from the Dirtbags scored a runner and a three-run home run from Javier Rosales gave them a 4-0 lead in the top of the second inning. In the bottom of the inning with two outs,
Michael Fuhrman hit his first triple of the season with the hit nearly going out of the park. The Tritons could not capitalize and stranded Fuhrman at third.
A Dirtbag runner was able to reach first base due to a fielding error from the Tritons in the top of the fourth. Long Beach hit a double to bring the runner in and extend the lead to 5-0.
Lucchetti hit a double down the left line to drive Kritsch home and end the shut out in the bottom of the eighth.
The Dirtbags added another run in the ninth and the Tritons were not able to get a rally going in the bottom of the inning
FROM THE COACH
"It's a long day. I thought the guys did a great job in the first game," stated Head Coach
Eric Newman. "They showed a lot of resiliency and fight and toughness. In the second game, their guy came out. I think the four run second obviously got us behind and kind of made it a little more comfortable on their side and it took us awhile to try and get going again. I think we have to wash that second one off, it wasn't a great performance offensively. We've got to be a little tougher when those situations come up and when that happens. But we'll be all right. We'll get back to it tomorrow and hopefully respond the right way."
TRITON TIDBITS
- Brandon Weed put together a strong start in game one. He went 5.1 innings and recorded a season high seven strikeouts in a no decision.
- The Tritons picked up their first ever win against Long Beach State and are now 1-4 all time.
- The two triples the Tritons hit in game two were the most since a 10-7 win over SF State on February 29, 2020.
- Noah Conlon got the win in game one, marking his first win in 2021.
UP NEXT
The Tritons will wrap up their series with LBSU tomorrow at Triton Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 pm and the game will be 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 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.
