LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego baseball scored three runs in its final at-bat to earn a 4-2 victory over cross-town foe San Diego State on Tuesday evening at Triton Ballpark. With the win the Tritons (13-22) improved to 2-1 in the Trolley Series.
 
Crew Robinson and Anthony Lucchetti were both credited with two RBI in the contest, while Ryan McNally finished 3-for-5 with a run scored and Luke Saunders went 2-for-4 with a run scored. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The game got off to an eventful start after the Aztecs (10-27) advanced a runner into scoring position in the top of the first. It looked as if SDSU would strike first after a single to center field brought the lead runner home but McNally's throw to the plate was right on target and kept the Aztecs off the board.
 
The Tritons responded in the bottom of the inning, loading the bases with two outs but a strikeout ended the inning and began an early trend of runners left on base. UC San Diego left 17 total runners stranded, including one in both the second and third. 
 
In the fourth inning, the Tritons finally broke through on a solo homerun to right field by Robinson—his second of the season—giving UC San Diego the 1-0 advantage. 
 
San Diego State responded the next inning, scoring two on a single up the middle to take the lead 2-1. The Aztecs threatened again in the eighth with runners on second and third with one out, but back-to-back strikeouts from Ryan Rissas kept it a one-run ballgame.
 
The Tritons continued to get runners on base but struggled to cash in. UC San Diego left two runners stranded in the fifth and again in the sixth, before loading the bases in the seventh. But the Tritons were still unable to bring in a run, going 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position through seven innings.
 
Finally, in the bottom of the eighth UC San Diego broke through, scoring two on a single to right field by Lucchetti to retake the lead 3-2. Robinson drew a bases-loaded walk to force in an insurance run and the Tritons took the 4-2 advantage into the ninth.
 
Aren Alvarez came out of the bullpen to close out the contest, forcing back-to-back fly-outs and a strikeout to seal the victory and earn the save for the Tritons.
 
QUOTABLE
"The pitching staff did a nice job of competing and Bubba [Filia] was huge for us early throwing a few base stealers out," said UC San Diego head coach Eric Newman. "Really liked our at bats early in the game and late in the game, particularly Luke Saunders and Anthony Lucchetti in that 8th inning."
 
"We left some opportunities out there throughout the game so it was nice to see our guys cash one in there late."
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Joey Soberon got his first start of the season, pitching 3.0 shutout innings and allowing three hits with three walks.
• Ryan Rissas (1-1) was credited with the win, pitching 1.0 inning with no runs, no hits and two strikeouts. Aren Alvarez earned his first save of the season, retiring all three batters faced in the ninth.
• Anthony Lucchetti and Crew Robinson were credited with two RBI each in the contest. Luke Saunders and Ryan McNally recorded multi-hit games.
• Austin Smith extended his 31-game streak of reaching base for the Tritons, reaching as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning after being intentionally walked.
• With the win, the Tritons improved to 3-4 in the all-time (DI) series against San Diego State and 2-1 this season.

UP NEXT
UC San Diego will hit the road again for a three-game series at CSU Bakersfield this weekend, Friday-Sunday. The games 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.