LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego split the doubleheader with Hawai'i on Friday afternoon at Triton Softball Field. Taking game one, the Tritons shut out the Rainbow Wahine with a score of 2-0. Hawai'i evened the day with a 5-1 victory in game two.
UC San Diego is now 12-21 overall, and 5-3 in Big West play. Hawai'i moves to 12-17 overall while moving to 5-3 in conference.
India Caldwell tallied her first Division I shutout as she tossed her tenth complete game to improve to 9-6 on the season. The right-hander forced no runs on five hits with a walk and two strikeouts. At the plate,
Brooklyn Lee tallied a lone hit with two runs batted in.
Lexi O'Gorman and
Morgan Eng scored the two runs for Lee.
At the plate,
Deena Pederson was 2-for-3 with the lone run batted in.
Morgan Eng scored the run. Getting the start in game two,
Shelby Thompson allowed three unearned runs on nine hits in her six innings of work. Coming on in as relief,
India Caldwell gave up two unearned run on two hits. The Tritons committed four errors in the second game.
UC SAN DIEGO 2, HAWAI'I 0
The Tritons two runs scored in the bottom of the first proved to be enough to earn the victory over the Rainbow Wahine. In her first at-bat,
Morgan Eng battled a 1-2 count to get hit by a pitch and become the lead off runner. Putting the bunt down,
Lexi O'Gorman advanced Eng and reached to add another runner on.
Deena Pederson then loaded the bases for
Brooklyn Lee. The freshman powered a double to the left field warning track to get Pederson to third and plate Eng then O'Gorman. The Tritons took the lead at 2-0 and never relinquished it.
In the sixth inning, Hawai'i threatened with bases loaded. Caldwell and the Triton defense tallied back-to-back outs on first pitches to hold onto the victory and shutout.
HAWAI'I 5, UC SAN DIEGO 1
The Tritons took the lead early with a single run in the first.
Morgan Eng earned a walk and then stole second to get into scoring position for
Deena Pederson. The senior laced a single past the shortstop allowing Eng to score.
The Rainbow Wahine responded in the second inning to tie the game up before going to score four more runs for a 5-1 lead.
UC San Diego looked to rally in the bottom of the seventh as another run was scored. A single and an error allowed
Mariah Melendez and
Marissa Hassis to get on. Eng was then walked again to advance the runners and load the bases. A fielder's choice kept the bases loaded but prevented a run from scoring.
Hailey Mulligan's at-bat forced another fielder's choice allowing Hassis to score, 5-2. The bases remained loaded as the final out was recorded, ending the Tritons' late rally.
TRITON TIDBITS
- India Caldwell tossed her first Division I shutout in game one. The right-hander tossed her 10th complete game of the season and tallied two strikeouts.
- Deena Pederson led at the plate going 4-for-7 (.571) on the day with a RBI and four total bases.
- Morgan Eng scored a run in each game, both the first run and on a non-hit to get on base.
- Marissa Hassis was .400 at the plate with a run scored.
- The all-time record moves to 5-7 with the Rainbow Wahine still leading.
UP NEXT
Weather permitting the Tritons return to Triton Softball Field to wrap the series against the Wahine. The game is tentatively set for 1 p.m. and will be live on ESPN+ with 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 earned 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.
