SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – The UC San Diego softball team closed out its inaugural Division I season on a high note, defeating Cal Poly in the season finale, 11-2, on Saturday afternoon at Bob Janssen Field. The Tritons took two out of three on the road from the Mustangs to complete their fifth Big West series victory and fourth overall.
The blue and gold finished 12-12 in conference play and 16-19 overall. As a result, the Big West newcomers earned fourth place in the league's standings to tie with UC Santa Barbara (15-31, 12-12 BWC). Both teams were right behind UC Davis at 19-24 (13-11) in third. The Mustangs fell to 13-22 overall and 7-17 in the Big West.
The Tritons' three batter
Bobbi Aguirre batted .500 on the weekend, going 5-for-10. A double, two walks and two RBIs, while slugging for .600 and generating an on-base percentage of .571 filled the rest of her stat line.
GAME 3: UC San Diego 11, Cal Poly 2
The Tritons put up a three spot in the first inning and carried the energy for six to follow. To begin, with runners on first and third and two retired,
Sherriah Harrington – as she has done all season – clutched up with a double to left to score one. Then,
Isabel Lavrov cleared the bases with a two-RBI single that grounded up the middle.
After Triton starting pitcher
Gabby Williams sent five Mustangs down in a row, Cal Poly designated player Shelby Jeffries went yard to cut the deficit to two. A double, and consecutive walks loaded the bases, but Williams avoided a breakout inning for the home team, limiting the damage to just one.
In the third, Lavrov delivered on her third RBI of the day, finding a hole through the right side of the infield.
The scoring didn't end there.
Sophia Real drove in the sixth run for her team. Sitting on an off-speed pitch with the count full, the sophomore poked one to center field to plate
Danica Kazakoff.
Trudie Nixon notched a ribbie of her own in a pinch-hit opportunity.
Finally, the Tritons busted it open in the top of the seventh for all the insurance needed. Four hits from
Kaleigh Lane, Kazakoff, Aguirre and Williams dug the Mustangs into an even deeper hole.
Williams was credited with the win (6-1), hurling 4.0 innings, scattering three hits and surrendering just one run.
Kaia Simpson entered in the fifth before
Robyn Wampler slammed the door in her last collegiate outing. The pitching staff combined for five strikeouts and limited their opponents to five hits total.
QUOTABLE
"It was a great ending to our first year in Division I," said Head Coach
Patti Gerckens. "I was really proud with the way we finished. All of our seniors contributed in the last game of their careers. It was fun to watch them produce, have fun and be great teammates."
TRITON TIDBITS
- In game three, UC San Diego's first five and last three runs all came with two outs.
- Lavrov manufactured a team-high three RBIs on Saturday.
- UC San Diego had nine different Tritons record hits in the finale.
- As a team, the blue and gold batted .292 in the series. Four individuals generated batting averages above .400 among the three games.
- UC San Diego stole a season-high five bases in Saturday's 11-2 triumph.
- On the season, the Tritons won their last eight of 11 games.
- UC San Diego finished fourth in Big West play, thanks to their .500 (12-12) conference record.
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.
