LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego baseball took game two of the series with UC Riverside, 8-4, on Friday afternoon in Triton Ballpark. With the victory, the Tritons (18-6, 5-3 Big West) secured their second Big West series win of the season after taking the opener with Highlanders (9-14, 0-5 Big West) the previous night.
 
Anthony Potestio had a big day at the plate, finishing 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored. Nick Costello went 3-for-4 and Michael Crossland finished 1-for-3 with a two-run homer. Colton Lomanto and Patrick Hackworth each recorded two runs scored and an RBI.
 
Landon Marchetti (1-0) earned his first collegiate win out of the bullpen, pitching the final 4.0 innings and allowing one hit with no runs, no walks and four strikeouts.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
After two quick innings for Anthony Eyanson to start the contest, UC Riverside was first to score with three runs in the top of the third. The Tritons got their first opportunity of the day in the bottom of the inning, getting runners on the corners with one out. However, a double play ended the inning without a run.
 
UC Riverside added to its lead in the fifth, scoring on an infield ground-out to lead 4-0.
 
The Tritons rallied in the bottom of the inning, scoring four runs on three hits and one error to even the game at 4-all. Potestio drove in the first run of the game for UC San Diego with an RBI infield single. Hackworth scored from third on a wild pitch one batter later and Crossland knocked a two-run home run to left field to pull even. 
 
Marchetti entered out of the bullpen in the top of the sixth, retiring the Highlanders quickly in order to keep the momentum with the Tritons. 
 
UC San Diego had another big inning, scoring four more runs on four hits to take the lead for good. After a leadoff walk by Benjamin Rosengard, Lomanto doubled down the left field line to score Rosengard from first. Hackworth and Potestio followed with back-to-back RBI singles and the Tritons led, 7-4. With two runners in scoring position and one out, Crossland laid down a sacrifice bunt that scored Potestio from third, 8-4. However, Costello was thrown out at home after attempting to score from second on the play and the inning ended on the double play.
 
Marchetti secured another 1-2-3 inning in the top of the seventh, before allowing his first base and only base runner of the appearance with a one-out single in the eighth. The freshman pitched around the hit with a strikeout and a fielder's choice ground-out to keep UCR off the board.
 
In the top of the ninth, Marchetti and the Tritons retired the Highlanders in order once again, including two strikeouts for the freshman to secure the victory.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Anthony Eyanson tied his season high with eight strikeouts and finished one shy of his career high (9 vs Long Beach State, March 19, 2023).
• Freshman Landon Marchetti faced one batter over the minimum in his first collegiate win.
• Michael Crossland and Anthony Potestio each had multi-RBI performances, while Nick Costello and Potestio recorded multi-hit outings.
• UC San Diego moved to 14-15 in the all-time series against UC Riverside, 11-2 in the Division I series and 2-0 for the weekend.

UP NEXT
The Tritons will wrap up the series with UC Riverside on Monday at 6 p.m. in Triton Ballpark. The game was originally scheduled for Saturday but had to be moved due to inclement weather in the forecast over the weekend. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with live statistics 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.