LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego baseball fell in the opening game of its three-game series with Cal Poly, 7-0, on Friday evening in Triton Ballpark.
 
The Tritons (7-14) were shutout for the third time this season and the Mustangs (12-9) held UC San Diego to it's lowest hit total (three) of the season. Zach Tonnerre turned in a strong performance on the mound in his second start for the Tritons, pitching 4.0 innings and allowing one run on three hits with two strikeouts and no walks. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The contest remained scoreless through three innings before Cal Poly broke through in the top of the fourth with a solo homerun. The Mustangs did most of their damage in the sixth inning, tallying four runs to take a 5-0 lead. 
 
The Tritons got their best opportunity in the seventh inning after a leadoff single by Austin Smith and another single by Blake FitzGerald put runners on first and second with one out. Marc Filia grounded into a fielder's choice to put runners on the corners, but a strikeout ended the inning and kept the Tritons off the board. 
 
Cal Poly added two more runs in the top of the ninth to secure the 7-0 victory and the 1-0 lead in the weekend series.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Starting pitcher Zach Tonnerre (0-2) went 4.0 innings and allowed one run on three hits with two strikeouts.
• The Tritons were held to their lowest hit total of the season, tallying three on the night by Blake FitzGerald, Emiliano Gonzalez and Austin Smith.
• With the loss, UC San Diego moves to 3-2 in the all-time (D-I) series with Cal Poly.

UP NEXT
UC San Diego will continue its three-game series with Cal Poly on Saturday at 2 p.m. 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.