LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego won its third consecutive Big West series in dramatic fashion on Sunday, defeating Cal State Fullerton, 6-4, with a walk-off two-run homerun in the tenth inning at Triton Ballpark. With the win, the Tritons (21-24, 11-10 Big West) took the weekend series, 2-1, over the Titans.
 
Crew Robinson was the hero of the day, with a two-run blast in the bottom of the 10th. Marc Filia and Noah Sudyka both finished 2-for-4, with two runs scored for Filia and an RBI for Sudyka. Emiliano Gonzalez knocked his first homer of the season, finishing 1-for-2 with two RBI and two runs scored.
 
Aren Alvarez (3-3) earned the win out of the bullpen, pitching 4.0 perfect innings with six strikeouts.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Starting pitcher Zack Ernisse was dominant to begin the contest, retiring 12 of the first 13 batters faced and extending a streak of 16 shutout innings over his last three appearances.
 
The Tritons were first to convert, scoring on an RBI double by Blake FitzGerald in the bottom of the fourth. The Titans answered in the next inning, scoring on an RBI single and a sac-squeeze to take the 2-1 lead and end Ernisse's streak.
 
Cal State Fullerton added to its lead with a two-RBI triple in the top of the sixth to make it 4-1. UC San Diego was quick to respond, scoring on a two-run homer by Gonzalez and an RBI infield single by Sudyka to tie the game, 4-4.
 
Alvarez entered the game in the top of the seventh and shut down the Titan lineup, retiring all 12 batters faced including back-to-back strikeouts to end the tenth.
 
Gonzalez drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the tenth and Robinson brought them both home, swinging on the first pitch to launch the game-winning homer to right for the walk off.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Starting pitcher Zack Ernisse pitched 5.1 innings, allowing two runs on three hits with two walks and a strikeout. Before allowing two runs in the fifth, Ernisse had not allowed a run in his last 16 innings of work.
• Aren Alvarez (3-3) pitched 4.0 perfect innings, retiring all 12 batters faced including six strikeouts.
• Marc Filia and Noah Sudyka turned in multi-hit performances for the Tritons.
• Blake FitzGerald, Emiliano Gonzalez, Crew Robinson and Noah Sudyka were credited with RBI, while Gonzalez and Robinson knocked homeruns in the contest.
• With the win, the Tritons improve to 5-2 in the all-time (D-I) series with Cal State Fullerton and took the series 2-1.
• The Tritons have now won four of their seven Big West series this season, including three consecutive series wins. 

UP NEXT
UC San Diego will continue a stretch of eight games in ten days, traveling to face Oregon for a pair of midweek matchups Tuesday and Wednesday. A live stream 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.