LA JOLLA, Calif. – On Friday afternoon at Triton Softball Field, UC San Diego softball dropped the doubleheader to UC Davis in a 14-0 shutout in game one and an 8-4 decision in game two.
The Tritons drop to 13-28 overall and 6-10 in Big West play. The Aggies improve to 17-23 overall and 8-9 in conference play.
Getting the start in game one,
India Caldwell allowed five runs on five hits with two walks. Coming in as relief,
Claire Adams allowed nine runs on eight hits with five walks. The Tritons only tallied two hits at the plate by
Deena Pederson and
Hailey Mulligan.
Tossing her third complete game of the season,
Shelby Thompson allowed seven earned runs on 11 hits with one walk and one strikeout. At the plate,
Morgan Eng went 2-for-4 with one run scored and a double knocked.
Hailey Mulligan added her support with two runs batted in and one run scored on a late-game home run.
UC DAVIS 14, UC SAN DIEGO 0
After the Aggies went ahead 1-0 in the top of the first, UC San Diego's
Deena Pederson laced a single up the middle and then stole second. This was unfortunately the only time the Tritons threatened over the five innings as the next nine batters were retired in a row.
UC Davis went on to score four runs in the third and then nine more in the fifth.
UC DAVIS 8, UC SAN DIEGO 4
UC Davis struck first in the top of the third with two runs scored and then again in the fourth with two more runs, 4-0. It wasn't until the bottom of the fourth when UC San Diego was able to string some hits together.
Morgan Eng put a bunt down to successfully reach as the speedy left fielder beat out the throw. Following her with her own single up the middle,
Deena Pederson advanced Eng to second on her hit and got on. An Aggie error allowed
Hailey Mulligan to reach and load the bases as the runners advanced.
Brooklyn Lee then poked a single to the right field to bring Eng home to score, 4-1. After an Aggie pitching change,
Alexa DeMarse grounded out, but was able to score Pederson with the second out, 4-2.
In the sixth, the Tritons' errors caused some trouble as UCD was able to score another run to pull away to 5-2.
Lexi O'Gorman reached second on Aggie throwing error after successfully getting her bunt down. Mulligan then stepped up to the plate and powered a rocket over the right field fence for two runs batted in and pulling with one of their foes, 5-4.
The Tritons couldn't keep the Aggies within striking distance as the visitors hung three more runs on the board to pull away to 8-4. Eng responded in the bottom with a two-out double, but was left stranded.
TRITON TIDBITS
- Deena Pederson is on a three-game hitting streak and went 2-for-7 with a run scored over the course of both games.
- Morgan Eng went 2-for-6 with a run scored and a double tallied.
- Hailey Mulligan was 2-for-5 at the plate with two runs batted in and a run scored. Mulligan knocked her second home run of her career in game two of the doubleheader.
- Shelby Thompson tossed her third complete game of the season.
UP NEXT
The Tritons return for the finale against UC Davis at 1 p.m. on April 20 at Triton Softball Field. The game will be available on ESPN+ with live stats 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 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.
