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UC San Diego

2024 Home Opener
4
UC San Diego UCSD 1-5
6
Winner Clemson CU 6-1
UC San Diego UCSD
1-5
4
Final
6
Clemson CU
6-1
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
UC San Diego UCSD 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 4 7 2
Clemson CU 0 4 1 0 1 0 X 6 7 2

W: Brooke McCubbin (3-1) L: Williams, Gabby (0-1) S: Valerie Cagle (2)

Game Recap: Softball |

Tritons' Rally Cut Short by Clemson

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico – Opening the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge against No. 7 Clemson, the Tritons fell to the Tigers, 6-4, after a seventh inning rally was cut short.
 
At the plate, Lexi O'Gorman continues to lead for the Tritons as she went 3-for-4 with a run scored and a run batted in. Morgan Eng added her bat and her speed on the base paths as she went 1-for-3 with two runs scored and a stolen base. Lily Hermosillo knocked in a batter and Mariah Melendez scored a run as a pinch runner for Teagan Dobson.
 
Gabby Williams went to work for the gold and blue over 4.2 innings of work to tally four strikeouts, six fly outs, four groundouts, and gave up two earned runs. India Caldwell came on in relief for 1.1 innings of play. The righty gave up no runs or hits and tallied a strikeout with three fly outs.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego struck first with a lone run in the top of the first. Morgan Eng became the leadoff runner after getting hit on the first pitch of the game. She proceeded to steal second to setup her team to bring her home. Deena Pederson laced a single through the left field to advance Eng and join her on the opposite corner. Brooklyn Lee's hard hit went straight to the second baseman allowing Pederson on an error to advance and Eng to score.
 
 
In the bottom of the first, Gabby Williams got herself out of a jam after two runners got on for the Tigers. Tossing back-to-back strikeouts, the lefty the forced a fly out to left to end the inning with the Tritons ahead at 1-0.
 
Clemson responded in the bottom of the second inning with four runs of their own to take the lead to 4-1. They added another run in the bottom of the third on a solo home run.
 
UC San Diego drew within three in the top of the fourth when Teagan Dobson, Alexa DeMarse, and Lily Hermosillo put together three solid at bats. Dobson worked a six-pitch at bat to win the walk. Mariah Melendez came in as Dobson's pinch runner. On her first pitch of the at bat, DeMarse was hit with a pitch to advance Melendez and take first. With an out on the board, Hermosillo stepped up to the plate and singled to the left field. On a 1-2 count, Hermosillo plated Melendez and advanced DeMarse to third. The sophomore cut the deficit to three as the inning ended with the score siting at 5-2.
 
Williams went one, two, three in the bottom of the inning winning a seven-pitch at bat, tallying her fourth strikeout of the game, and battling a 3-1 count to get the final out.
 
Clemson pulled away to a 6-2 lead after a triple and groundout brought in another run for the Tigers. Both teams went 0-0 in the sixth inning.
 
Trying to rally, the Tritons scored twice in the top of seventh after Morgan Eng slashed a double over the outfield defense. O'Gorman stepped up to the plate battling a 1-2 count through five pitches to send a single up the middle to plate Eng. Pederson then knocked a single through the left side to advanced O'Gorman to second. Lee tallied another fielder's choice to advance O'Gorman to third who then scored on an error by the Clemson shortstop. The rally was cut short as the final two outs were tallied.
 
QUOTABLE
Assistant Dan Sperl was happy with the way the team showed up at the plate, saying, "today shows what kind of team we can be when we are consistent from the first pitch to the last. We did our jobs and strung together several quality at-bats to threaten multiple times."
 
"[No. 7] Clemson is a great team with a great offensive lineup," Sperl added, "Gabby Williams and India Caldwell were solid for us in the circle and kept us in the game the whole time." 

TRITON TIDBITS
  • This was the first meeting for Clemson and UC San Diego with Clemson now leading the series at 1-0.
  • Two runs were scored on a fielder's choice forced by Brooklyn Lee.
  • Lexi O'Gorman was 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI. She is on a four-game hitting streak with six RBI scored in those games.
  • Lily Hermosillo was 1-for-2 with a run batted in and a walk.
  • Morgan Eng was 1-for-3 with two runs scored and a stolen base.
  • Deena Pederson was 2-for-4 with a stolen base.
 
UP NEXT
As of now, the Tritons will be back on Friday, Feb. 16 to take on Mississippi State at 1 p.m. PST. Live stats are available on ucsdtritons.com and a live stream is available through FloSports.
 
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 has begun a new era 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 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.
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