SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – As Big West play continues, UC San Diego softball split their first conference doubleheader on the road at Santa Barbara. Taking game one by a one run, the Tritons won the game in a 3-2 decision. The Gauchos came back in game two to win 6-4.
The Tritons are now 11-19 overall and 4-1 in the Big West and the Gauchos are 9-17 overall and 3-2 in conference play.
In game one,
India Caldwell tossed her eighth complete game allowing only one earned run on five hits and three walks. The junior tallied three punch outs and improves to 8-5. At the plate,
Mariah Melendez went 1-for-3 with two runs batted in.
Alexa DeMarse brought the other run in and three different Tritons scored:
Hailey Mulligan,
Teagan Dobson, and Zoë Richards. 10 Tritons were left on base.
Shelby Thompson got the start in game two giving up five earned runs on 10 hits and two walks. The lefty battled for five innings before
Claire Adams took over allowing no runs on no hits and a walk. The sophomore reliever tallied her second-career strikeout in her single inning. Tallying seven hits as a team,
Alexa DeMarse led going 2-for-3 with a run batted in. Adding her support,
Deena Pederson went 1-for-4 with two runs batted in. Six Tritons were left on base.
UC SAN DIEGO 3, UC SANTA BARBARA 2
Getting the Tritons started,
Mariah Melendez opened up scoring for both teams in the top of the second. With two outs on the board,
Teagan Dobson was walked by UCSB to become the lead off runner. Zoë Richards then laced a single out to left field on a full count to reach and advance Dobson. On a wild pitch, the two runners advanced with both in scoring position for Melendez. The right-fielder then powered a single up the middle plating Dobson and Richards to take the lead, 2-0.
An insurance run in third proved critical for the Tritons. Battling an eight pitch at-bat,
Hailey Mulligan became the lead runner on one out. On a full count and nine pitches,
Brooklyn Lee won the battle as she reached on an error and advanced Mulligan to second. The runners moved up again on a wild pitch.
Alexa DeMarse then batted Mulligan in to score on the ground out.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Gauchos scored two runs.
India Caldwell stranded seven Gauchos over her seven innings of work and the insurance run in the third allowed the Tritons to stay on top for the win.
UC SANTA BARBARA 6, UC SAN DIEGO 4
It was a slow start for the gold and blue in game two as the Tritons trailed the Gauchos 6-0 until the sixth inning.
Morgan Eng led the late rally as she earned a walk to become the lead runner. After two Tritons flied out, Eng stole second with
Hailey Mulligan at the plate. The shortstop earned her own walk to put runners on the corners. On another nine-pitch at-bat and full count,
Brooklyn Lee laced a single past third base to advance Mulligan and score Eng.
Alexa DeMarse then hit her own single up the middle to bring Mulligan home before Lee was stranded.
Rallying again in the seventh, it was Eng who led the way again after getting hit by a pitch with two outs on the board.
Lexi O'Gorman then slipped a single through the right side and Eng made it to third. On a 1-2 count,
Deena Pederson powered a triple out to center field to bring in Eng and O'Gorman, making the score 6-4. The rally fell short as the final out was punched.
TRITON TIDBITS
- Alexa DeMarse led the day going 2-for-5 (.400) with two runs batted in and a sac bunt.
- Lexi O'Gorman averaged .375 at the plate and scored a run on three total bases.
- Deena Pederson knocked a triple with two runs batted in. In the field, the senior was perfect with four putouts and six assists.
- India Caldwell tossed her eighth complete game allowing only one earned on six hits and three walks.
- In her fourth appearance of the season, Claire Adams tossed a shutout inning and tallied her career-second strikeout in game two.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego wraps the three-game series at UC Santa Barbara in a rubber match on Monday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. on ESPN+ with live stats 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.
