LA JOLLA, Calif. – The UC San Diego baseball scored six runs in the fourth inning and seven runs in the sixth to earn a dominating 22-10 victory in game one of a doubleheader with visiting Seattle on Saturday afternoon at Triton Ballpark.
The Tritons (2-1) dropped the second game of the day, 8-3, after an early offensive onslaught gave the Redhawks (1-2) a comfortable lead.
GAME ONE: UC SAN DIEGO 22, SEATTLE 10
UC San Diego jumped out to an early 3-1 lead in the bottom of the first and never looked back, putting up runs in the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings. The Tritons tallied 21 total hits in the early game and saw their first home runs of the season, with
Anthony Lucchetti and
Austin Smith both going yard.
The Tritons were led by A. Smith who finished the day 3-for-4 with five RBI, three runs scored, including a two-RBI double and a two-run home run. Five other Tritons finished with a multi-hit game, including
Michael Fuhrman,
Emiliano Gonzalez, Lucchetti,
Ryan McNally and
Jalen Smith. Starting pitcher
Aren Alvarez (1-0) earned the win for UC San Diego.
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"Offense did a really nice job all game of being aggressive in the strike zone," said UC San Diego head coach
Eric Newman. "Emi [
Emiliano Gonzalez] was great for us both at the plate and catching, and
Matt Halbach again had some really good at bats for us.
It was good to get some guys in the game and get their feet wet as well."
GAME TWO: UC SAN DIEGO 3, SEATTLE 8
It was the Redhawks who jumped out to an early lead in game two, putting up two runs in the top of the first. The Tritons answered in the bottom of the inning with a
Crew Robinson bomb to right field, but then UC San Diego would be held scoreless until the bottom of the ninth.
Seattle added insurance runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings to take a commanding 8-1 lead. The Tritons rallied late in the ninth, loading the bases and scoring two runs to cut the deficit to five, but UC San Diego was unable to complete the comeback.
Robinson, A. Smith and J. Smith tallied the only RBI for the Tritons, who were held to just five hits in the night game. Starting pitcher
Noah Conlon (0-1) was credited with the loss.
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"Seattle did a good job early jumping on Noah [Conlon]," said UC San Diego head coach
Eric Newman. "Noah wasn't as sharp today as we have seen him be and they took advantage of some mistakes.
We need to bounce back tomorrow and try and win a series."
TRITON TIDBITS
- Game one's 22 runs were the most scored by the Tritons since a 22-3 victory over Point Loma on May 17, 2018.
- Anthony Lucchetti, Austin Smith and Crew Robinson all went yard for the Tritons.
- The Tritons put nine freshmen into the lineup in game one, including three starters and UC San Diego started four freshmen in game two.
UP NEXT
The Tritons will conclude their four-game series with Seattle on Sunday, with first pitch scheduled for 12 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available via UCSDTritons.com.
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 38 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 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.
