LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego baseball fell to San Diego State, 18-8, on Wednesday evening at Triton Ballpark. The Tritons (21-10) moved to 7-6 in the Division I series with the Aztecs (10-22) in the first of two meetings this season.
 
Emiliano Gonzalez finished the night 2-for-5 with one RBI, while six other Tritons recorded a hit. Cooper Thacker and Brock Kleszcz led the way with two RBI apiece, while Thacker also tallied two runs scored.
 
Starter Donovan Chriss went 2.0 innings, allowing one run on three hits with one walk. Nathan Huy (0-1) was credited with the loss, while Ryan Farmer had the longest outing for the Tritons, pitching 4.1 innings.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
San Diego State took the early lead with a sac-fly in the top of the first for the 1-0 advantage. 
 
The Tritons got on the board in the bottom of the second, scoring three runs on three hits to take the lead. A leadoff single for Andy Ambriz and another single for Kerim Orucevic put two runners on base with one out. Thacker doubled into the corner in left field to bring both runners home and give UC San Diego the lead. After Thacker stole third, a ground-out by Ryson Ujimori brought him home to make it 3-1, Tritons.
 
The Aztecs responded an inning later, scoring three runs on four hits to retake the lead 4-3. Gonzalez hit a leadoff double for UC San Diego in the bottom of the third and advanced to third with two outs but the Tritons were unable to bring him home.
 
San Diego State added to its lead in the top of the fourth, scoring four runs with a grand slam home run to make it 8-3. The Aztecs continued to add on in the top of the fifth, scoring five runs on six hits and two errors to build a 13-3 lead.
 
The Tritons rallied in the bottom of the fifth, loading the bases with one out. Kleszcz hit an infield single to bring in one run for UC San Diego but the Tritons were unable to cash in further, trailing 13-4.
 
In the bottom of the sixth, the Tritons loaded the bases once again with no outs. Gonzalez brought in the first run of the inning with an RBI ground out to first base. A pair of bases-loaded walks for Doyle Kane and Patrick Hackworth forced in two more runs and Kleszcz reached on a fielder's choice to bring in the fourth run of the inning and make it 13-8. 
 
San Diego State stalled the comeback for the Tritons, getting three runs back in the eighth and adding two more in the ninth for the 18-8 victory. 
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Emiliano Gonzalez turned in his seventh multi-hit performance of the season.
• Brock Kleszcz led the Tritons in RBI for the second straight contest. 
• UC San Diego moved to 7-6 in the Division I series with San Diego State and 0-1 in the season series.
• The two teams will meet again at Tony Gwynn Stadium on May 14.

UP NEXT
UC San Diego will continue a busy week of five games in Triton Ballpark, playing host to No. 12 UC Irvine in the weekend series beginning Friday at 6 p.m. The games 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.