STOCKTON, Calif.—UC San Diego baseball fell to Pacific by a score of 6-3 on Sunday at Klein Family Field. With the loss, the Tritons (1-2) dropped their opening series of the season, moving to 4-2 in the all-time series with the Tigers (2-1).
 
Alex Leopard led the Tritons with a home run and two RBIs, while Emiliano Gonzalez also recording a home run and a walk. Michael Crossland scored the other run for the Tritons, finishing 1-for-3 with a double. Delshaun Lanier also knocked a double in the contest.
 
On the mound, true freshman Nathan Ries delivered a solid start, pitching 5.0 innings with five strikeouts, allowing four hits, three earned runs, and one walk. He threw 73 pitches, with 42 strikes, and recorded two strikeouts in the first inning. Jake Villar (0-1) took the loss, pitching 1.0 inning and allowing three earned runs on three hits and one walk. Sam Hasegawa contributed 2.0 innings of relief, allowing just one hit and no runs, efficiently using 17 pitches with 13 strikes and facing six batters without issuing any walks.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
In the second inning, the game saw its first scoring action when the Tigers hit a home run, bringing in two runs. The early lead set the stage for a competitive matchup. The Tritons responded in the fourth inning, starting with Crossland being hit by a pitch and then Leopard hitting a two-run homer to right center. Gonzalez immediately followed with solo home run to left field. This surge put the Tritons ahead 3-2.
 
The game took another turn in the fifth inning as Pacific tied the game with a single up the middle that scored a runner, leveling the score at 3-3. In the sixth inning, the Tritons' Crossland doubled and advanced to third, but the team was unable to capitalize and left runners on base. The Tigers then added three more runs, bringing the score to 6-3.
 
The Tritons attempted to rally in the later innings. Despite a double by Lanier in the seventh and a hit-by-pitch to Gabe Camacho in the ninth, the team could not convert these opportunities into runs. The game concluded with a final score of 6-3, with the Tritons securing five hits throughout the game.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Nathan Ries made his collegiate debut, getting the start on the mound.
• Junior transfer Jake Villar also made his debut for the Tritons in the contest.
• Delshaun Lanier made his first start of the year in right field.
• The Tritons recorded two double plays in the contest.
• Five Tritons recorded a hit, with Alex Leopard the only one credited with multiple RBI.

 
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will return to La Jolla for its home opener on Tuesday in Triton Ballpark. The Tritons will play host to crosstown foe San Diego State at 6 p.m. with the first 500 fans receiving a pair of sports visor sunglasses. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available via UCSDTritons.com.
 
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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.