SAN DIEGO—UC San Diego baseball fell to San Diego State, 5-2, on Tuesday evening in Tony Gwynn Stadium. The Tritons (21-10) mounted a late-inning comeback but the Aztecs (12-17) scored three runs in the eighth to earn the victory.
 
Brock Kleszcz went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored and Doyle Kane finished 2-for-4 with a run scored. Brand Larson was also credited with a pinch-hit RBI in the contest.
 
The Tritons used eight pitchers in the contest, highlighted by Ryan Farmer who pitched 2.0 perfect innings, including two strikeouts. Joe Soberon (0-2) was credited with the loss. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons threatened early, with two runners on and one out in the top of the first but were unable to cash in. UC San Diego stranded a runner in scoring position again an inning later to remain scoreless early.
 
San Diego State got on the board first, scoring on a sac-fly in the bottom of the second to take a 1-0 lead. After allowing a two-out walk, the Triton pitching staff retired the next 12 batters in order, including five strikeouts. The Aztecs added to their lead in the bottom of the sixth with a two-out solo home run to make it 2-0.
 
UC San Diego loaded the bases in the top of the fourth with two outs, but a ground-out ended the inning without a run. The Tritons threatened again in the top of the seventh, loading the bases for the second time in the contest with two outs but were unable to cash in once again.
 
In the top of the eighth, UC San Diego was finally able to break through, plating two runs on an RBI double by Kleszcz and an RBI single by Larson to tie the game 2-2.
 
It looked as if another game would come down to the wire before the Aztecs retook the lead in the bottom of the eighth, scoring three runs that would prove to be the difference, 5-2.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Brock Kleszcz and Brandon Larson were credited with the two RBI in the contest.
• UC San Diego stranded 10 runners on base compared to three for SDSU.
• The Tritons moved to 2-1 in the season series with the Aztecs, 6-5 in the Division I series and 9-15 in the all-time series.

 
UP NEXT
The Tritons will travel for a Big West series at Hawai'i beginning Friday at 9:30 p.m. PT. Saturday's game is set for 9:30 p.m. PT and Sunday is scheduled for 4 p.m. PT. There will be no live broadcast for the series but 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.