LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego baseball swept the double-header against North Dakota State on Monday in Triton Ballpark, taking game one, 7-1, and game two, 14-6. The Tritons (4-4) finished the Tony Gwynn Legacy weekend 3-1.
 
It was a big day at the plate for the Triton hitters, led by Emiliano Gonzalez who went 3-for-5 with five RBI, three runs scored and two home runs and Matt Halbach who finished 5-for-10 in with three RBI and two runs scored.
 
On the mound, Izaak Martinez (1-0) earned the win in game one, pitching 3.1 shutout innings and allowing one hit with no walks and five strikeouts. Aren Alvarez (1-0) got the win in game two, working 3.0 shutout innings and allowing two hits with no walks and seven strikeouts.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Game 1: UC San Diego 7, North Dakota State 1
The Tritons got on the board early in the bottom of the second inning with an RBI double by Noah Sudyka to take the lead 1-0. Michael Mitchell held the Bison scoreless in his three innings of work, facing one batter over the minimum through three innings and tallied five strikeouts.
 
North Dakota State tied things up in the top of the fourth, 1-1. However, the game didn't stay knotted for long as the Triton put up three runs in the bottom of the sixth. UC San Diego added three more runs in the eighth to take game one, 7-1. Izaak Martinez struck out five of the 11 batters he faced to close out the contest and earn his first win of the season.
 
Game 2: UC San Diego 14, North Dakota State 6
It was North Dakota State that struck first in game two, putting up three runs on the board in the top of the first inning. The Bison added another run in the second to take an early 4-0 lead. 
 
UC San Diego answered in the bottom of the inning with a solo home run by Emiliano Gonzalez and an RBI single by Luke Glascoe to cut the deficit in half, 4-2. 
 
The Tritons made it a one-run ballgame in the fifth on a RBI single by Halbach, but the Bison answered an inning later putting two runs on the board to re-take a three-run lead, 6-3.
 
UC San Diego would not give up, exploding for 11 runs in the bottom of the eighth, including the go-ahead two-RBI single by Hackworth and a three-run homer by Gonzalez—his second of the game. The Tritons took a commanding 14-6 lead and effectively secure the comeback victory to sweep the double-header with NDSU.
 
QUOTABLE
Game 1: "Pitching staff did a great job of limiting them to one and letting our offense get going, said UC San Diego head coach Eric Newman. "Izaak Martinez gave us a big lift out of the pen. Jalen Smith had a great bounce back game for us at the plate and really led us. Halbach followed that with a great game as well and those two guys showed why they are hitting in the middle of the order."
 
Game 2: "Was really proud of our guys sticking with it. Both games were tough grind it out type of games and it was great to see our guys respond the way they did. Donovan Chriss, Seth Sumner, Joe Soberon and Aren Alvarez all pitched well and kept us in the game after falling behind. It gave our offense a chance to keep working and getting to the big inning and it finally cracked for us."
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Izaak Martinez and Aren Alvarez both picked up their first wins of the season.
• Emiliano Gonzalez knocked two homers in game two to lead the team with five RBI on the day.
• Seven Tritons turned in multi-hit performances for the day, including Gonzalez, Halbach, Smith, Sudyka, Robinson, Kane and Hackworth.
• The Tritons finished the Tony Gwynn Legacy weekend with a 3-1 record and now hold a 2-0 record in the all-time series with North Dakota State.

UP NEXT
The Tritons will host Santa Clara for a three-game series next weekend in Triton Ballpark. UC San Diego will face the Broncos on Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. The games 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 began a new era in 2020 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 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.