LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego baseball gave up three runs in the ninth inning to fall to Grand Canyon, 9-6, on Tuesday evening in Triton Ballpark.
 
The Tritons (6-3) were led by Austin Smith who went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Luke Saunders who finished 1-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored. In addition, Marc Filia and Jalen Smith tallied an RBI for UC San Diego.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lopes (4-4) got on the board early in the first inning, after an early error and a wild pitch gave GCU a 1-0 lead. Starting pitcher Austin Smith then retired six of the next seven batters in order to squash GCU's momentum.
 
UC San Diego's offense came alive in the third inning after Saunders sent a double to left field, to plate two runs and give the Tritons the lead. Filia added another run to the board with an RBI single that scored Saunders from second to lead, 3-0.
 
The Lopes responded immediately, putting up three runs in the top of the fourth and adding another run in the top of the sixth to build a 5-3 lead. The Tritons quickly cut the deficit back to one run after scoring on a called balk in the bottom of the sixth. 
 
Grand Canyon scored again in the eighth on an RBI triple to make it 6-4, but the Tritons responded again. In the bottom of the eighth, Jalen Smith sent an RBI double to left field and Austin Smith singled on the very next at bat to score J. Smith and tie the game at 6-all.
 
The Tritons held all the momentum heading into the ninth inning before a pair of Lopes reached on errors. With two outs and two runners on, GCU's Jacob Wilson hit a three-run homerun that proved to be the game-winner.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Starting pitcher Austin Smith (Fr., LHP) went 3.0 innings, allowing one unearned run on 1 hit with three strikeouts and one walk.
• Austin Smith registered the only multi-hit game for the Tritons, going 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk.
• Luke Saunders recorded his first career hit, a two-RBI double in the third inning. 

UP NEXT
UC San Diego will hit the road for its first series of the season away from Triton Ballpark, traveling to face Santa Clara in a three-game series Friday-Sunday. A free live stream 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.