LA JOLLA, Calif. – Hosting St. John's University in midweek doubleheader, the Tritons swept the visitors winning both games in 6-2 and 7-5 decisions.
India Caldwell earned her first division one win after pitching a complete game. The right-hander gave up two runs on six hits and fanned six opponents with three walks. At the plate, eight Tritons knocked at least a single hit with
Deena Pederson and
Gabby Williams going 2-for-3. Pederson scored two runs and batted another two in with Williams plating one and scoring one of her own.
Getting the start in game two,
Gabby Williams went to work for three innings fanning a batter and allowing one earned run on five hits.
Shelby Thompson came on in as relief to shut out the Red Storm over three innings giving up three hits, but no runs. In the final inning,
India Caldwell came back in for the Tritons to shut the door on SJU with a one-two-three inning. At the plate,
Deena Pederson was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a runner batted in. On two hits,
Lexi O'Gorman batted in two along with
Gabby Williams.
UC SAN DIEGO 6, SJU 2
St. John's got on the board first in the top of the third with two runs on a homerun. The Tritons responded in the bottom of the inning with four runs of their own.
Becoming the leadoff runner,
Deena Pederson cracked a double to the left field warning track to put herself in scoring position. The Red Storm pitching staff walked
Teagan Dobson to add another runner on the base paths for
Gabby Williams. The senior lefty laced a single up the middle on a full count to advance Dobson and plate Pederson. On a 1-2 count,
Alexa DeMarse then sent her own single up the middle to advance Williams and score Dobson.
Reilly Erickson came in to run for Williams at second base.
Brooklyn Lee then powered a double out to left field to plate DeMarse and Erickson.
The Tritons added two more runs to the board in the fourth and sixth. After getting hit by a pitch,
Morgan Eng became the lead off runner of the fourth inning. On two outs, Pederson sent a double out to left field to bring Eng home to make it 5-2.
In the bottom of the sixth,
Marissa Hassis laced a single up the middle to become the leadoff runner on no outs. Eng advanced her on a sac-bunt and she advanced again on a single from
Lexi O'Gorman. Pederson was able to reach on a fielder's choice forcing the throw to second to and allowing Hassis to score.
India Caldwell tossed her second complete game shutting the Red Storm out for six of the seven innings.
UC SAN DIEGO 7, SJU 5
The Tritons struck first with a lone run in the bottom of the first inning and SJU respond in the top of the second with a four-run inning when two Triton errors extended the inning. In the bottom of the same inning, a Red Storm error allowed the Tritons to get runners on second and third. On two outs,
Lexi O'Gorman laced a single up the middle to bat in Zoë Richards and
Marissa Hassis to pull within one of SJU.
Teagan Dobson sent her own single out to right field to plate O'Gorman and tie the score.
Trading more runs in the third, the Red Storm went up by one again in the top inning.
Gabby Williams responded with a leadoff, solo homerun to start the bottom inning. After a pitching change,
Alexa DeMarse sent a laser to the third baseman to become the new lead runner.
Hailey Mulligan powered a double to left center to plate DeMarse. Initially, DeMarse was ruled out at home and the call was overturned due to the catcher obstructing the plate without the ball.
Shelby Thompson shutout SJU for the next three innings. The Tritons scored an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth when
Deena Pederson became a lead runner off a single down the right field line. With two outs on the board, Williams pinch hit and reached on an error to advance Pederson to third base. Pederson was then batted in by DeMarse.
TRITON TIDBITS
UP NEXT
UC San Diego hits the road as they travel to Arizona State Invitational for a five-game road trip in Tempe. The invite begins on Friday, March 1 at 10:30 a.m. PST vs. North Florida. Live stats will be available on 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 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.
