LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego baseball dropped the series opener to UC Santa Barbara, 4-2, on Friday evening in Triton Ballpark. With the loss, the Tritons (22-13, 11-5 Big West) moved to 1-9 in the Division I series with the Gauchos (23-12, 8-5 Big West).
 
The Tritons were held to five hits in the contest and led offensively by Crew Robinson, finishing 2-for-3 with a double, while Luke Saunders went 1-for-2 with a run scored. 
 
Izaak Martinez (5-1) was credited with the loss, closing out the final two innings, allowing two runs on two hits with a walk and two strikeouts.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both teams had early opportunities, stranding nine runners through the first five innings including two left on for the Tritons in both the fourth and fifth. The Gauchos were first to get on the board in the top of the sixth with an RBI ground-out to lead 1-0.
 
UC Santa Barbara added a second run an inning later, scoring on a wild pitch to make it 2-0.
 
The Tritons finally broke through in the bottom of the seventh, scoring two runs on a fielding error by UCSB to tie the game 2-2. Martinez and the Tritons sat the Gauchos down in order in the top of the eighth and UC San Diego got two on with two outs before a runner was caught stealing to end the inning.
 
UC Santa Barbara broke the tie in the top of the ninth, scoring two runs on two hits to make it 4-2. In the bottom of the inning, Noah Sudyka drew a lead-off walk and advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. The Tritons moved Sudyka to third with two outs but were unable to complete the comeback, falling 4-2.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Crew Robinson turned in the only multi-hit performance for the Tritons and Matt Halbach was credited with the only RBI.
• Ryan Forcucci worked 5.0 innings out of the bullpen, allowing two runs on six hits with one walk and four strikeouts.
• UC San Diego stranded 10 runners compared to seven for the Gauchos.
• The Tritons moved to 1-9 in the Division I series and 1-12 in the all-time series with UCSB.

UP NEXT
The Tritons will continue the three-game series against UC Santa Barbara with game two on Saturday at 2 p.m. The game 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.