LA JOLLA, Calif. – The UC San Diego softball team put together five multi-run innings over the course of both games in Saturday's doubleheader to sweep CSUN, 3-0, in its final Big West Conference matchup at Triton Softball Field.
 
Bobbi Aguirre had a monstrous weekend at the plate, batting .750 (6-for-8) with three RBIs and three runs scored. The redshirt junior slugged for 1.125 and manufactured an on-base percentage of .778.
 
With the sweep, the Tritons improve to 14-18 overall and 10-11 in Big West play. The Matadors fall to 5-18 on the season and 3-18 in conference.
 
GAME 2: UC San Diego 9, CSUN 0 (5 Inn.)
Robyn Wampler sent the Matadors down in strikes in three of the six she faced through one and a half innings of play. At that point, the Tritons knew their ace was in business.
 
To help their senior in the circle, the blue and gold plated two in the bottom of the first. A wild pitch gave UC San Diego its first run, followed by a sacrifice fly from Isabel Lavrov.
 
The next inning, the the Tritons scored seven runs on six hits to put the game way out of reach. For starters, Aguirre placed a perfect sacrifice bunt that allowed Keila Bosinger to slide into home safely. Sherriah Harrington continued the damage, lining one in the hole to right center to trade places with Sophia Real on second base. Later on, with the bases juiced – on a 3-1 count –Gabby Williams launched a grand slam to left field to cap off the run production.
   
Wampler road her team's momentum to close out the game, tossing a two-hit shutout. The senior departed Triton Softball Field for the last time with a victory, shifting to 7-11 on the year. She fanned five and saw just three over the minimum.
 
GAME 3: UC San Diego 12, CSUN 4 (6 Inn.)
The Tritons picked up right where they left off in the finale. Three hits and a pair of free passes from the Matadors' defense generated four runs. With runners in scoring position, Lavrov singled in the 5-6 hole. Then, Deena Pederson put a good swing on one, sending it deep enough into center field to bring in Williams from third.
 
CSUN chipped away in the top of the second. A fielding error, a walk, and a hit by pitch gave the Matadors their first runs of the day, cutting the deficit to two, 4-2.
 
The Tritons came right back offensively, putting a five spot up in the third. The inning was highlighted by Aguirre's two-run bomb to left center.
Regardless of the score, the Matadors were resilient, scraping across two more in the top of the sixth. In relief, Shelby Thompson saw five batters and retired two, before Kaia Simpson replaced her to complete the inning ahead 9-4.
 
UC San Diego would ultimately walk it off in the bottom of the sixth by meeting the run-rule requirement. Vanessa Tirado roped a single to center field to plate pinch runner Kaleigh Lane for one. Shortly after, with no where to put her, Bosinger wore a pitch inside that tagged her knee cap. It was all the Tritons needed to complete the series sweep.

Williams went 5.1 innings in the circle, allowing just two runs, zero which were earned. The freshman saw 23 batters and struck out two to capture win number five. 
 
QUOTABLE
Watch the postgame interview with Head Coach Patti Gerckens, senior Sherriah Harrington, and redshirt junior Bobbi Aguirre.


 
TRITON TIDBITS

• The 9-0 triumph was UC San Diego's largest margin of victory in the 2021 campaign.  
• Aguirre's homer in the second game was her third this season and 12th of her career – good for ninth all-time in the record books.
• Wampler received her first at-bat of her collegiate career in the bottom of the fourth in game one on Saturday.
• Tirado collected her first RBI of the season in her final game at Triton Softball Field. 
• Williams tabbed home run number six in game two, her second of the series. More than half of her hits in a Triton uniform have been deep flies (6-for-11).
• May 7-8 was Senior Weekend at Triton Softball Field. UC San Diego honored Danica Kazakoff, Trudie Nixon, Sherriah Harrington, Robyn Wampler and Vanessa Tirado prior to Saturday's contests.

UP NEXT
UC San Diego will hit the road to close out its inaugural Division I campaign at Cal Poly on May 14-15 at Bob Janssen Field in San Luis Obispo. The Tritons look to go out on a bang as they take on the Mustangs in a three-game Big West series next weekend.
 
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.