LA JOLLA, Calif.—After falling behind early, UC San Diego baseball battled down to the wire but ultimately fell to UC Irvine, 11-7, on Friday night at Triton Ballpark.
 
The Tritons (11-18, 3-4 Big West) were led by Blake FitzGerald who finished 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, three RBI and a run scored. Austin Smith also finished 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI, while Marc Filia and Jalen Smith both hit solo homeruns in the contest.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Anteaters (18-10, 7-3 Big West) came out hot to start the contest, putting up four runs in the first and five runs in the second to take a commanding 9-0 lead. 
 
The Tritons answered in the bottom of the second, putting two runs on the board with an RBI triple from FitzGerald and a sac-fly by Matt Halbach.
 
After the early onslaught, the Triton pitching staff combined to hold UCI scoreless through the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings. In that timeframe, UC San Diego allowed just two base runners with a walk and a single and kept the Anteaters from advancing a runner into scoring position.
 
Meanwhile, UC San Diego continued to cut into the deficit, scoring a run in the third on a solo homerun by Jalen Smith and adding three more in the fifth with a sac-fly by Austin Smith and a two-run double by FitzGerald to make it 9-6.
 
UC Irvine rallied in the seventh, loading the bases and drawing a walk to force in another run. RHP Ryan Rissas use a four-pitch strikeout to end the inning and minimize the damage. However, UCI added one more run in the top of the ninth to extend its lead, 11-6.
 
The Tritons continued to battle despite the large deficit, getting runners on base in each of the final four innings but stranding six. UC San Diego rallied one last time in the bottom of the ninth, beginning with a two-out solo homerun from Filia. A hit batter and a walk put the tying run on deck before an impressive defensive play by the UCI third-baseman ended the rally and secured the win for the Anteaters.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Starting pitcher Zach Tonnerre (0-3) was credited with the loss, pitching 3.0 innings and allowing nine runs on 11 hits with one walk and two strikeouts.
• The Triton bullpen (Cole Dale, Ryan Rissas, Lonnie Morris) combined for 6.0 innings, allowing two runs on just three hits with four walks and three strikeouts.
• Blake FitzGerald and Austin Smith recorded multi-hit games for UC San Diego.
• With two hits, Austin Smith extended his 25-game streak of reaching base for the Tritons.
• Marc Filia, Matt Halbach, Austin Smith and Jalen Smith all recorded an RBI, while Blake FitzGerald tallied three.
• Marc Filia and Jalen Smith each recorded a homerun in the contest. Filia currently leads the team with six, while Smith tallied his second of the season.
• With the loss, the Tritons fall to 1-4 in the Division I series and trail 0-1 in the season series with UC Irvine.

UP NEXT
UC San Diego will continue the Blue & Gold series against UC Irvine with game two on Saturday at 2 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.