STOCKTON, Calif.—UC San Diego baseball dropped its season opener to Pacific, 2-1, on Friday evening at Klein Family Field. The Tritons (0-1) and Tigers (1-0) remained tied into the ninth inning before a walk-off home run by the home team.
Starter
Matthew Dalquist delivered a solid outing, pitching five innings and allowing just one earned run while striking out three batters. His performance included an impressive five groundouts and he retired the final seven batters he faced.
Trevor Rector (0-1), making his UC San Diego debut, provided relief with 3 1/3 innings, striking out four before allowing his first hit which proved to be the game-winner.
Noah Lazuka, also debuting for the Tritons, led the team with two hits, including a double, while also drawing a walk. Five other Tritons recorded a hit in the contest.
Anthony Potestio contributed significantly as a sophomore infielder, successfully executing four assists at second base, a highlight stat for his defensive performance.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons opened the game with an early lead in the first inning when Potestio took advantage of a wild pitch to advance to third and subsequently scored on a second wild pitch. This quick start gave the visitors an initial 1-0 advantage. In the second inning, Lazuka hit a double to left center, but the inning concluded without further advancement, leaving one runner on base.
In the third inning, the Tigers managed to level the score with a two-out RBI single, bringing the game to 1-1. The Tritons' defense held firm, with Dalquist retiring the next seven batters in order to conclude his outing.
The sixth inning saw
Michael Crossland reach third base after a single and some strategic base running, yet the team was unable to capitalize, leaving two runners on base. Rector picked up where Dalquist left off, retiring the first six batters in succession and facing just one batter over the minimum through his first three innings in a Triton uniform.
The game remained tied into the ninth inning, with the Tritons rallying in the top of the frame.
Gabe Camacho knocked a leadoff single and pinch-hitter
Patrick Hackworth drew a one-out walk to put UC San Diego in scoring position. With two outs, Potestio drew another walk to load the bases but a fly-out to right ended the inning without a run.
After Rector struck out the leadoff batter, Pacific managed to break the deadlock with a solo home run to left field. The Tritons ended the contest with seven hits and ten left on base, narrowly falling 2-1 in the closely contested game.
TRITON TIDBITS
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will remain in Stockton for game two of the weekend series with Pacific. Saturday's contest is scheduled for 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available via UCSDTritons.com.
Article partially generated with FanWord.
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.
