BAKERSFIELD, Calif.—UC San Diego baseball defeated Cal State Bakersfield, 2-1, in 11 innings on Friday evening at Hardt Field. The Tritons (24-11, 11-5 Big West) shutout the  Roadrunners (11-25, 6-10 Big West) for eight and two thirds innings before CSUB forced extras in bottom of the ninth.
 
Starter Anthony Eyanson was one out away from the Tritons' first nine inning complete game shutout, pitching 8.2 innings and allowing one run on four hits with one walk and six strikeouts. Izaak Martinez (4-1) was credited with the win, pitching the final 2.1 innings without allowing a run.
 
The top of the order for UC San Diego—Nick Costello, Michael Crossland and Benjamin Rosengard—recorded the Tritons' only three hits. Crossland and Rosengard were credited with RBI, while Costello and Crossland were the runs scored. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both teams faced the minimum through the first three innings of an old-fashioned Friday night pitcher's duel. 
 
The Tritons finally got on the board in the top of the fourth with a sacrifice fly by Rosengard to bring in Crossland to make it 1-0. It appeared as if the Roadrunners would answer in the bottom of the inning, advancing a runner to third with two outs, but a fly-out to right field kept UC San Diego in the lead.
 
Once again both teams faced the minimum at the plate in the fifth, before the Tritons got two runners on with two outs via walk and a hit batter. A strikeout ended the inning without a run. 
 
Eyanson retired CSUB in order once again in the sixth, facing one batter over the minimum through eight innings of work. The sophomore righthander retired 12 batters in a row before giving up a two-out walk in the bottom of the ninth. After Eyanson jumped ahead to an 0-2 count, a single to center field put the tying run in scoring position and prompted the Tritons to bring in Martinez from the bullpen—ending Eyanson's campaign for the program's first nine inning complete game shutout.
 
A bobbled ground ball by Doyle Kane at first base forced a throw home to preserve the shutout, but the Cal State Bakersfield runner just slid under the tag to tie the game, 1-1. A walk loaded the bases with two outs before a ground-out to Patrick Hackworth at second base ended the inning and forced extra frames.
 
Cal State Bakersfield loaded the bases again in the bottom of the tenth with two outs, but another ground-out—this time to Noah Sudyka at shortstop—ended the inning without a run.
 
In the top of the 11th, Nick Costello hit a leadoff single to left field. Crossland followed with a double to the wall in left center field that scored Costello from first and gave the Tritons the lead once again, 2-1.
 
The Roadrunners threatened one more time in the bottom of the inning, putting runners on the corners with two outs. A final ground-out to Sudyka kept the run off the board and secured the series opener for UC San Diego.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Anthony Eyanson was one strike away from recording UC San Diego's first nine-inning complete came shutout. 
  • He pitched a career-high 8.2 innings, facing just one batter over the minimum before allowing a two-out walk in the ninth.
• It was the first extra-inning victory for the Tritons this season, who are now 1-4 in extras.
  • UC San Diego is now 7-5 in one-run games this season. 
• The Tritons moved 7-4 in the all-time series with Cal State Bakersfield. 

UP NEXT
UC San Diego will continue the three-game series at Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday at 5 p.m. 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.