LA JOLLA, Calif. – In a dramatic series finale, UC San Diego softball avoided the sweep on a suicide squeeze to walk it off, 3-2, over UC Davis on Saturday afternoon at Triton Softball Field.
UC San Diego moves to 7-10 in Big West play and 14-28 overall. UC Davis moves to 8-10 in conference and 17-24 overall.
Tossing her 13th complete game,
India Caldwell held the Aggies to one hit and scoreless through three innings and then held them to two for another two innings. Tallying four punch outs, the right-hander allowed two runs on four hits with three walks. She is now even in her record at 11-11.
At the plate, the Tritons were led by
Morgan Eng who went 2-for-4 with a run scored and another batted in. The leadoff hitter knocked a triple and executed the suicide squeeze bunt that won the game.
Hailey Mulligan was 1-for-2 with her single hit breaking up the shutout and batting in Eng. Zoë Richards was a critical pinch hitter as her solo home run added a needed insurance run to the board in the sixth.
HOW IT HAPPENED
A pitcher's duel ensued at Triton Softball Field as both sides only had one hit on the board for three innings. UC Davis pitching staff got out of a jam in the bottom of the first as the Tritons managed to load the bases on two outs, but were unable to cash in.
India Caldwell retired eight in a row from the first to the fourth inning. Over the course of the seven innings, the right-hander stranded six Aggies.
Momentum shifted in the bottom of the fifth when
Morgan Eng roped a triple down the right field line on two outs. Then on a full count,
Hailey Mulligan battled back from an 0-2 count to pop a single past second base and bring Eng in, 1-0. Mulligan was left on first and the third out was caught.
Despite an error in the top, Caldwell kept UCD off the board sending it to the bottom with a strikeout and a pop up. Once again two outs were already punched and the Tritons brought in pinch hitter Zoë Richards. The senior cracked a moon-shot over the left field fence for the solo home run to add to the Tritons' lead, 2-0.
The Aggies responded in the top of the seventh and tied the score up at 2-2 to send it into the bottom.
Leading off the seventh,
Marissa Hassis laced a single out to left field to become the go-ahead run. On a fielder's choice, the Aggie third baseman went for the lead runner, but Hassis and Melendez were both safe on second and first. With no outs on the board and only needing one run, Eng stepped up to the plate and showed bunt, twice. The count was 1-1 when the junior put the bunt down and sprinted for first as the third baseman threw the ball, it sailed over first base allowing Eng to reach and Hassis to get home and score for the walk off victory, 3-2.
TRITON TIDBITS
- Morgan Eng was 2-for-4 with a run scored and another batted in. Her bunt in the final at-bat forced the Aggie error giving Marissa Hassis time to score and win the game.
- Zoë Richards hit her second home run of the season and her first home run as a pinch hitter.
- India Caldwell tossed her 13th complete game of the season and tallied four strikeouts.
- The all-time record is now even at 6-6 for the two teams.
- This is the Tritons' first walk off of the season.
UP NEXT
The Tritons hit the road as the travel to UC Riverside for a three-game series vs. the Highlanders starting on Saturday, April 27 with a doubleheader and wrapping on Sunday, April 28 in a single game finale.
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.
