DAVIS, Calif.—UC San Diego baseball took the series opener against UC Davis, 15-5, on Friday afternoon at Dobbins Stadium.
 
The Tritons (23-25, 12-10 Big West) put together a solid day at the plate, tallying 15 hits with a .366 team batting average, including three homeruns. Noah Sudyka went 2-for-2 with a homerun, a walk, three RBI and two runs, while Jalen Smith finished 2-for-2 with two walks, two RBI and two runs. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons jumped out to an early lead, scoring four runs in the top of the second. Austin Smith got the day going with a solo homerun to right—his third of the season. UC San Diego then loaded the bases with two outs and scored Crew Robinson from third on a wild pitch, followed by a two-RBI single to left by Jalen Smith to take the lead, 4-0, over the Aggies (4-28, 3-19 Big West).
 
That began a streak of five consecutive innings in which the Tritons put runs on the board. UC San Diego tacked on three more in the top of the third with another bases-loaded wild pitch to score Ryan McNally and a two-RBI single by Sudyka to make it 7-0.
 
UC San Diego would score J. Smith in the top of the fourth on the third wild pitch of the game and add one more with an RBI triple by McNally. 
 
Sudyka knocked the second homer of the game—his fifth of the year—in the top of the fifth to extend the lead 10-0. The Tritons struck again a few batters later when Blake FitzGerald knocked a three-run shot to right—his fifth—to make it 13-0. 
 
The Tritons wrapped up their offensive onslaught in the sixth, with back-to-back pinch-hit RBI. Michael Fuhrman sent an RBI double to the wall in left and Matt Halbach tripled to right center to bring him in and make it 15-0, Tritons.
 
The Aggies were finally able to break through in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run homer. UC Davis added three more in the bottom of the ninth but the Tritons held on for the 15-5 victory.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Starting pitcher Ryan Forcucci went 2.0 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out two. 
• Ethan Holt (2-1) was credited with the win, pitching 3.0 scoreless innings and allowing three hits with no walks and three strikeouts.
• UC San Diego's 15 hits tied for second-most by the Tritons this season. 
• Ten of the Tritons 15 runs scored with two outs.
• Blake FitzGerald, Michael Fuhrman, Matt Halbach, Ryan McNally, Austin Smith, Jalen Smith and Noah Sudyka tallied RBI in the contest.
• Blake FitzGerald, Emiliano Gonzalez, Crew Robinson, Jalen Smith, and Noah Sudyka turned in multi-hit performances.
• Blake FitzGerald, Austin Smith and Noah Sudyka all went yard for the Tritons.
• With the win, UC San Diego improved to 4-1 in the all-time (D-I) series with UC Davis (8-15 all-time) and lead the weekend series 1-0.

 UP NEXT
UC San Diego will remain at UC Davis for game two of the weekend series with the Aggies on Saturday 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.