NORTHRIDGE, Calif.—UC San Diego baseball closed out its second season of Division I competition with a 3-1 victory over CSUN on Saturday afternoon at Matador Field.
 
The Tritons (24-32, 13-17 Big West) were led by Michael Fuhrman who finished 2-for-3 with an RBI. Jalen Smith went 1-for-4 with his seventh homerun of the season and Emiliano Gonzalez finished 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
 
Zack Ernisse (4-3) was credited with the win, pitching 6.0 innings and allowing one run on four hits with no walks and a strikeout. Ryan Rissas earned his first save of the season, retiring all four batters faced to close out the contest.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Matadors (32-22, 17-13 Big West) were first to strike, scoring on a sac-fly in the bottom of the first to take an early 1-0 lead. UC San Diego responded immediately in the top of the second, tying the game on an RBI double by Gonzalez to make it 1-1.
 
The Tritons took the lead, 2-1, in the fourth when Fuhrman singled to left center with two on and two outs to score Gonzalez from second. 
 
CSUN advanced a runner into scoring position in the bottom of the inning with two outs before Ernisse and the Tritons retired the next 10 batters faced to preserve the one-run lead.
 
UC San Diego tacked on an insurance run in the top of the eighth with a leadoff homerun by Jalen Smith to make it 3-1.
 
The Matadors mounted their biggest threat of the day in the bottom of the eighth, loading the bases with two outs before a fielder's choice ground-out to Sudyka ended the inning without a run.
 
In the bottom of the ninth, Rissas retired the final three batters in order to earn the save and secure the season-finale victory for the Tritons.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Starting pitcher Zack Ernisse (4-3) went 6.0 innings, allowing one run on four hits with no walks and one strikeout.
• Ryan Rissas earned his first save, retiring all four batters faced—including one strikeout—to close out the contest.
• Michael Fuhrman, Emiliano Gonzalez and Jalen Smith were credited with RBI in the contest.
• Michael Fuhrman turned in the only multi-hit performance for the Tritons.
• Saturday marked the final game for graduating seniors Noah Conlon, Blake FitzGerald, Anthony Lucchetti and Ryan McNally.
• With the win, UC San Diego moves to 4-3 in the all-time series with CSUN and avoids the weekend sweep, 1-2.

 
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.