LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego baseball defeated UC Riverside, 14-8, in a midweek non-conference matchup on Tuesday evening in Triton Ballpark. The Tritons (9-6) collected 14 hits, including nine extra-base hits to top the Highlanders (5-11) for their fourth consecutive win.
 
All nine Tritons recorded at least one hit in the contest, led by Brandon Larson who went 3-for-5 with five RBI and a run scored and Jalen Smith who went 3-for-3 with three runs score, two RBI and two walks. Both Larson and Smith finished a home run-shy of hitting for the cycle.
 
It was a staff day for the Tritons, who used seven pitchers in the contest. Ethan Holt (1-0) earned the win, pitching 2.0 shutout innings and allowing one hit with two strikeouts. Ryan Rissas earned his third save of the season, going 1.2 innings without allowing a hit and collecting two strikeouts.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Highlanders got a run on the board in the top of the first, but the Tritons quickly answered to take the lead with four runs in the bottom of the inning. 
 
UC Riverside tied the game with three runs in the top of the second, but UC San Diego answered again with five runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 9-4 lead. The two teams combined for an astonishing six triples in the first two innings—Smith, Larson and Noah Sudyka all recorded triples for the Tritons.
 
UC Riverside scored a run in the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth innings, however each time the Highlanders threaten to chip away at the lead, the Tritons responded. UC San Diego scored a run in the sixth and two runs in both seventh and eighth to secure the 14-8 victory.  
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Ethan Holt (1-0) earned his first win of the season and Ryan Rissas secured his third save.
• Every Triton who recorded an at-bat was credited with at least one hit.
  • Jalen Smith, Brandon Larson and Crew Robinson turned in multi-hit performances. 
• Brandon Larson's five RBI tied the season high and Division I single game record for the Tritons.
• Crew Robinson recorded his first home run of the season.
• With three triples in the contest, the Tritons currently lead the Big West with 13 triples this season and rank second in the country behind Texas A&M-CC and UTSA (14).
• It is the 10th time this season the Tritons have recorded 10 or more hits.
  • UC San Diego currently leads the Big West in hits (165) and batting average (.311).
• UC San Diego's 9-6 record is the best start through 15 games in the Division I era.

 
UP NEXT
The Tritons will begin Big West play at home against Long Beach State beginning Friday at 6 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.