LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego extended a seven-game winning streak, defeating Cal State Fullerton, 8-4, in the series opener on Friday night at Triton Ballpark.
 
The Tritons (20-23, 10-9 Big West) were led by Emiliano Gonzalez who finished 2-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored. Marc Filia went 1-for-2 with two runs and an RBI, while Luke Saunders finished 2-for-5 with two runs and an RBI. Ryan Forcucci (2-4) earned his second win of the season, pitching 7.0 innings and allowing four runs on six hits with one walk and nine strikeouts.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Titans (17-26, 10-9 Big West) were first on the board, scoring two runs on a triple in the top of the second. UC San Diego got one run back in the bottom of the third with an RBI single by Filia to make it, 2-1.
 
After giving up the early two runs in the second, Forcucci retired 10 of the next 11 batters he faced including four strikeouts.
 
The Tritons offense rallied for a big inning in the fourth, crossing four runs to take the lead. Luke Saunders knocked an RBI infield single, before UC San Diego loaded the bases with two outs for Emiliano Gonzalez. Gonzalez cleared the bases when he sent a ball to left center that bounced off the wall just shy of a grand slam. The three-RBI double gave the Tritons their first lead of the contest, 5-2.
 
Fullerton got a pair of runs back the following inning with a two-run homerun to cut the lead to one, 5-4. Forcucci then retired the next seven Titans in order, including striking out the side in the top of the seventh.
 
UC San Diego extended its lead in the bottom of the inning with a two-RBI single by Austin Smith and an infield RBI single by Ryan McNally to make it 8-4.
 
Izaak Martinez finished the final two innings out of the bullpen for the Tritons without allowing a hit and striking out three Titans to secure the opener for UC San Diego.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Starting pitcher Ryan Forcucci (2-4) matched his career high in innings (7.0) and set a new career high in strikeouts (9), allowing four runs on six hits with one walk.
• Marc Filia, Emiliano Gonzalez, Ryan McNally, Luke Saunders and Austin Smith tallied RBI in the contest.
• Emiliano Gonzalez, Matt Halbach and Luke Saunders recorded multi-hit performances.
• With the win, the Tritons improve to 4-1 in the all-time (D-I) series with Cal State Fullerton and 1-0 in the season series.
• UC San Diego extended a seven-game win streak—its longest of the season.

UP NEXT
UC San Diego will face Cal State Fullerton in game two of the weekend series on Saturday at 2 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.