LA JOLLA, Calif. – In the opening contest of Big West play, UC San Diego baseball fell to Cal State Fullerton, 2-1, on Friday night in Triton Ballpark. The Tritons' (13-4, 0-1 Big West) sole run came by way of a
Michael Crossland groundout that ushered
Nick Costello home in the fifth. UC San Diego is now 8-5 in the all-time series with the Titans (8-8, 1-0 Big West).
Ryan Forcucci (2-1) pitched the first four innings, recording eight strikeouts and two walks, concurrently giving up three hits and a run.
Donovan Chriss pitched 1.1 innings, giving up three hits and one run.
Izaak Martinez closed out the game, pitching 3.2 innings and tossing three strikeouts, while allowing one walk and one hit.
Matt Halbach went 2-for-4 with two doubles, while
Noah Sudyka finished 2-for-3 and collected the team's other double.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Forcucci started strong, tossing three swinging strikeouts in the opening inning. He continued to control the game with a strikeout to close the door in the second with the Titans threatening with a runner on third.
The Titans broke through first, however, in the fourth inning after a hit-by-pitch and walk put them in a scoring position. A rightfield slice finished the job to see the visitors go up 1-0. Fullerton continued to distance itself in the fifth inning, scoring another run after a leadoff double and an RBI single made it 2-0.
The bottom of the same inning saw hints of a Triton comeback as Crossland grounded out to send Costello home, making it 2-1 heading into the sixth inning.
UC San Diego nearly clawed its way even in the next inning when Halbach made it to third base after a leadoff double—a shallow crack along the right field line—and a
Bradlee Preap line-out. However, a flyout and swinging strikeout kept the score stagnant.
The eighth inning saw the Titans miss out after reaching third base, this time off a double and sacrifice bunt. Back-to-back defensive gems from
Noah Sudyka and Martinez kept CSUF off the board.
Halbach led off the eighth inning with another double down the left field line. An
Emiliano Gonzalez groundout moved Halbach within a base of tying the game. Cal State Fullerton held off the Tritons' rally, throwing a strikeout to maintain the advantage with one inning left.
Down to the last out and final strike, Sudyka swung a laser down the left field line, reaching third base on a fielding error by the Titans. The final out came in the next sequence as Crossland could not beat out the throw to first base.
QUOTABLE
"Tough Friday night game. We had our chances," said UC San Diego head coach
Eric Newman. "We had our moments. We had the right guys at the plate and didn't deliver. We need to be a little tougher in those moments. I thought Fullerton played tougher—in the critical moments they made plays when we didn't and that's just what it came down to. We've got to come back tomorrow and fix it."
TRITON TIDBITS
- With his 3.2 innings of shutout work in the contest, Izaak Martinez lowered his ERA to 0.41.
- All four of the Tritons' losses this season have been by one run. UC San Diego is now 3-4 in one-run ballgames.
- UC San Diego is now 8-5 all-time against Cal State Fullerton. The Tritons swept last year's series against the Titans (7-4, 11-2, 4-1).
- The Tritons wore their all-white uniforms on Friday.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego continues its series play against Cal State Fullerton on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Triton Ballpark. The Tritons wrap up the series the day after at 1 p.m. The games will be broadcast on ESPN+ with live statistics 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 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.
