LA JOLLA, Calif.—Dominating performances both at the plate and on the mound gave UC San Diego a 12-1 victory over Cal Poly on Saturday afternoon at Triton Ballpark. With the win, the Tritons (8-14, 1-1 Big West) even the series 1-1 with the Mustangs (12-10, 4-1 Big West).
 
Three Tritons put together three-hit performances, including Emiliano Gonzalez who went 3-for-5 with four RBI and a run scored. Marc Filia finished 3-for-4 with three RBI, including a two-run homerun and three runs scored and Blake FitzGerald went 3-for-4 with three runs scored. Starting pitcher Noah Conlon (2-4) pitched 6.0 shutout innings, allowing four hits with three walks and six strikeouts.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Cal Poly threatened early, loading the bases with no outs in the top of the second before an unconventional strikeout/throw-out at home double-play and a groundout to second kept the Mustangs off the board.
 
The Tritons broke through in the bottom of the second with a two-run homerun to left field from Filia, his fourth of the season. 
 
After a couple early baserunners in the first and second, Conlon kept the Mustang offense quiet, retiring the next five batters in order and facing one over the minimum in both the fourth and fifth innings.
 
UC San Diego added four more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning with an RBI single from Gonzalez, a two-RBI triple by Noah Sudyka and another RBI single from Austin Smith. One inning later, Matt Halbach connected on a two-run homerun to left field—his fourth of the season—to give the Tritons a commanding 8-0 advantage.
 
Cal Poly advanced runners to third base in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings but each time the Triton defense ended the threat to keep the shutout.
 
With two outs and the bases loaded in the eighth, Gonzalez sent a double off the wall in right-center field to clear the bases and break the game open at 12-0.
 
The Mustangs got one run back in the top of the ninth but a strikeout and great defensive play by Nick Costello ended the threat and secured the 12-1 victory for UC San Diego.
 
QUOTABLE
"I was really happy with the poise our team showed today," said UC San Diego head coach Eric Newman. "It was a huge lift getting out of the second inning bases loaded jam from Noah [Conlon] and our team responded and fed off that energy."
 
"The middle of the order was awesome for us today, stringing together quality at bats and Noah Sudyka's triple was a really big moment for us and for him."

TRITON TIDBITS

• Starting pitcher Zach Tonnerre (2-4) pitched 6.0 shutout innings, allowing four hits with three walks and six strikeouts.
• Joey Soberon was credited with a save, pitching 3.0 innings in relief and allowing one run on five hits with one walk and two strikeouts.
• Three Tritons put together multi-hit performances, including Marc Filia, Blake FitzGerald and Emiliano Gonzalez.
• Marc Filia and Matt Halbach both recorded two-run homeruns in the contest.
• With the win, the Tritons improve to 3-3 in the all-time (D-I) series with Cal Poly and 1-1 this season.

UP NEXT
UC San Diego will conclude its three-game series with Cal Poly on Sunday at 1 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.