LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego loaded the bases to bring the winning run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, but came up short in the series opener, 7-4, to Hawai'i on Friday evening at Triton Ballpark.
 
The Tritons (23-28, 12-13 Big West) were led by Jalen Smith who finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored including a solo homerun—his sixth of the season. Ryan McNally went 3-for-4 on the night and Luke Saunders went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Rainbow Warriors (25-21, 15-9 Big West) were quick to score, putting two runs on the board in the top of the first with a two-run homer. UH added two more runs in the top of the second to take an early 4-0 lead. 
 
The Tritons quickly closed the gap in the third, scoring on an RBI triple by Saunders, an RBI double by J. Smith and an RBI single by Marc Filia to cut the deficit to one, 4-3.
 
Hawai'i answered the next inning, scoring a runner from third on a wild pitch and added another run in the top of the fifth to make it 6-3.
 
In the bottom of the sixth, the Tritons got a run back on a leadoff homerun by Jalen Smith to make it 6-4. The 'Bows responded again with a leadoff homerun in the top of the seventh to extend the lead back to three.
 
UC San Diego rallied again in the bottom of the seventh, getting two runners on with one out. However, a foul-out and a strikeout ended the threat for the Tritons. 
 
Down to their last chance, Emiliano Gonzalez singled to center field to lead off the bottom of the ninth for the Tritons. McNally reached on another single two batters later and Michael Fuhrman followed him with another single to load the bases. With two outs and two strikes, it looked as if the game would be tied up after Matt Halbach sent a line drive down the right field line and into the corner but it landed just foul. Ultimately, a fielder's choice ended the rally and secured the opener for UH.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Starting pitcher Austin Smith (0-2) pitched 2.0 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits with no walks and two strikeouts.
• Izaak Martinez pitched the majority of the contest for the Tritons, going 5.1 innings out of the bullpen and allowing two runs on seven hits with one walk and three strikeouts.
• Marc Filia, Luke Saunders and Jalen Smith were credited with RBI in the contest.
• Ryan McNally and Jalen Smith turned in multi-hit performances.
• With the loss, UC San Diego falls to 3-2 in the all-time series with Hawai'i and 0-1 in the weekend series.

UP NEXT
UC San Diego will remain in Triton Ballpark to take on Hawai'i in game two of the weekend series 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.