LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego baseball loaded the bases in the final two innings but came up just short, falling to Santa Clara, 7-6, in the series finale on Sunday in Triton Ballpark. The Tritons (5-6) fell to 3-7 in the all-time series with the Broncos (5-4) and 2-1 in the weekend series.
 
Matt Halbach led the offense for the second game, finishing 3-for-5 with a triple and three runs scored. Bradlee Preap finished 2-for-2 with a double, a walk and two RBI and Emiliano Gonzalez went 2-for-5 with a run scored.
 
Aren Alvarez (1-1) was credited with the loss, pitching 2.2 innings out of the bullpen and allowing two runs on two hits with one walk and five strikeouts.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Broncos got on the board first with a solo home run in the top of the third, but the Tritons answered immediately—scoring on a SCU error—to tie the game at 1-1. 
 
Santa Clara did most of its damage in the fourth inning, plating three runs to take a 4-1 lead. It looked as if the Broncos would add to their lead in the fifth with the bases loaded and no outs, but Alvarez made a fielder's choice out at home plate and then struck out the next two Broncos to retire the side and get out of the jam.
 
The Tritons rallied to take the lead in the fifth, scoring four runs when Jalen Smith scored on another SCU error, Doyle Kane knocked an RBI single and Preap brought in the go-ahead run with a two-RBI double to make it 5-4. 
 
UC San Diego held the one-run lead into the seventh inning before Santa Clara plated two runs to retake the lead 6-5. The Broncos added an insurance run in the ninth to extend their lead, 7-5.
 
The Tritons had two solid opportunities in the final two innings. After coming up empty with the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth, UC San Diego loaded the bases again in the ninth with one out. Luke Glascoe brought in a run with a sac-fly to center field to make it 7-6, before Patrick Hackworth sent a fly ball to the warning track in right field for the final out.
 
QUOTABLE
"That was a tough series against a veteran team," said UC San Diego head coach Eric Newman. "I liked the way our guys competed on Saturday and Sunday. Unfortunately, came out on the short end of Sunday and we need to learn the lessons of these close games and one-run losses."
 
"Couple of guys really played well for us this series and I like our direction. We need a good week of practice to get ready for Northern Colorado and conference."
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Aren Alvarez was credited with the loss, giving up two runs on three hits with five strikeouts.
• Matt Halbach, Emiliano Gonzalez and Bradlee Preap turned in multi-hit performances.
  • It was the sixth multi-hit game for Halbach who leads the team this season.
• Doyle Kane, Luke Glascoe and Bradlee Preap were credited with RBI.
• It was the seventh game with 10 or more hits by the Tritons this season.
• It is the third one-run loss for UC San Diego this season.
• With the loss, the Tritons dropped the series 2-1 and fell to 3-7 in the all-time series with Santa Clara.

UP NEXT
UC San Diego will play host to Northern Colorado for a three-game series, beginning Friday at 6 p.m. in Triton Ballpark. 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.