LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego baseball dropped the second game of its weekend series with UConn, 3-2, on Sunday afternoon at Triton Ballpark.
 
The Tritons (6-12) were led by Matt Halbach and Emiliano Gonzalez who both finished 2-for-4, and Gonzalez was also credited with a run scored. Jalen Smith went 1-for-2 with an RBI and a walk, while Brock Kleszcz went 1-for-3 with an RBI double and a run scored. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Huskies (14-3) got all three of their runs in the third inning on a three-run homerun off of Noah Conlon. 
 
The Tritons weren't short on opportunities, outhitting UConn 9-8, but the Tritons struggled to cash in, stranding nine runners on base compared to six for the Huskies.
 
UC San Diego finally broke through in the fifth inning after Kleszcz knocked a leadoff double and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Jalen Smith was able to bring him home with an RBI single to make it 3-1.
 
The Tritons tacked on another run in the sixth, scoring Gonzalez from third on a sac-fly from Kleszcz to cut the deficit to one.
 
UConn retired the Tritons in order in the seventh and eighth innings before UC San Diego attempted to rally one more time in the ninth. With two outs, Michael Fuhrman singled to center and stole second to bring the tying run into scoring position. But the comeback came up short for the second game in a row with a called strikeout to end the game.
 
QUOTABLE
""Obviously we are struggling to find a win right now," said UC San Diego head coach Eric Newman. "We have played well the last 4-5 games but just haven't found the play, hit, or pitch to get us over the top."
 
"UConn is a good, veteran club and they know how to win, which is something that we are trying to figure out for ourselves right now."
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Noah Conlon (1-4) got the start for UC San Diego, going 5.0 innings allowing three runs on six hits with one walk and a season-high seven strikeouts.
• Emiliano Gonzalez and Matt Halbach recorded multi-hit games for the Tritons and Brock Kleszcz and Jalen Smith were credited with the RBI. 
• The Triton bullpen (Sam Hasegawa, Nolan McCracken, Ryan Rissas) combined for 4.0 scoreless innings of work, allowing two hits with one walk and six strikeouts.
• The Tritons are 0-2 in the all-time division I series with Connecticut.
• With the loss, the Tritons extend a ten-game skid and fall to 6-12 on the season.

 
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will continue a seven-game homestand on Monday in the series finale with UConn at 1 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.