LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego senior catcher Aaron Kim hit two homers and the Tritons took a four-run lead in the home half of the first, but visiting CSU Bakersfield rallied for a 9-7 victory in the first game of the four-game series on Friday afternoon at Triton Ballpark.
 
With the win, the Roadrunners improved to 12-8 overall and 9-4 in Big West play, while UC San Diego fell to 9-20 overall and 6-11 in the conference.
 
CSU Bakersfield junior right-hander Cody Tucker (2-2) came on in the second inning and pitched 4.2 innings of relief to earn the win. UC San Diego starter Cameron Leonard (2-5) allowed eight runs over five innings and was saddled with the loss.
 
The Tritons committed four errors in the game.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
After Leonard worked a 1-2-3 top of the first, the Tritons wasted little time getting the bats going in the home half of the inning. With one out, Jackson Kritsch walked and Anthony Lucchetti was hit by a pitch. Blake Baumgartner drew a free pass to load the bases for Kim. The senior crushed the first pitch he saw over the wall in left for a grand slam.
 

First D1 Grand Slam ??https://t.co/6JvXtefszM pic.twitter.com/ngxRooDbcZ

— UC San Diego Baseball (@UCSDbsb) April 23, 2021

 
The Roadrunners tied the game with a four-spot of their own in the top of the third. An RBI double from the nine-hole hitter Aaron Casillas was followed by a three-run homer to right from center fielder Jacen Roberson to even the score. An RBI groundout from 1B Tyler Jorgensen put CSU Bakersfield in front, 5-4.
 
With one out in the bottom of the third, Kim belted a 2-1 pitch over the wall in right field – his second homer of the game – to tie the score at 5 apiece.
 
CSU Bakersfield went back in front, 6-5, in the top of the fourth as catcher Cody Holtz homered down the left field line.
 
Trailing 8-5 in the bottom of the fifth, UC San Diego picked up a run when Marc Filia scored on a bases loaded wild pitch. The Tritons added a run in the sixth as Baumgartner hit a solo homer to left, his team-leading fourth of the season.

QUOTABLE
"We didn't play very good defense today and I didn't think our at-bats with runners in scoring position late in the game were very good," said UC San Diego head coach Eric Newman following the loss. "We had plenty of opportunities; we left a ton of guys on base. That's disappointing. That's a game we need to play better and we should've won. We've got to clean those things up, come back tomorrow and play better."

TRITON TIDBITS

• Baumgartner extended his hitting streak to nine games with his home run in the sixth.
• Kim's five RBIs were a season high, and the most by a Triton in any game so far this season. 
• UC San Diego left 10 runners on base.
• Leonard matched his season-high with 105 pitches.
• Lefty Izaak Martinez allowed just one unearned run over three innings of relief work for UC San Diego, walking two and striking out a pair.

 
UP NEXT
The Tritons and Roadrunners continue their four-game series with a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 12:02 p.m., and both games will be broadcast live on ESPN3 with Ted Mendenhall and Steve Quis calling the action.

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.