LONG BEACH, Calif. - UC San Diego (3-18) and Long Beach State (13-10) faced off in a doubleheader on Friday, with the Tritons splitting the games. In the first game, UC San Diego secured a victory, defeating Long Beach State 8-2. In the second game, the Tritons fell to Long Beach State with a final score of 9-4.

Jaden Hill excelled for the Tritons in the opener, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and one RBI, while also scoring twice. Alexis Jimenez contributed significantly by hitting a home run, driving in one run, and scoring twice, alongside a stolen base. Zara Wasserman impressed with two hits, including a double, and she drove in two RBIs. Alexa DeMarse also stood out with a home run, two RBIs, and a walk. On the mound, Claire Adams delivered a complete game, allowing two earned runs on seven hits over seven innings and striking out five.

Jaden Hill, stood out again with two hits, including a double, and a walk in her three at-bats, contributing a stolen base as well. Alexis Jimenez, a freshman designated player, drove in two runs with a hit and a sacrifice fly in three at-bats. Staying at third in the final game, Alexa DeMarse, made an impact by hitting a home run, driving in one run, and scoring once with two hits in three at-bats.

The Tritons move to 3-18 overall and 1-5 in conference play while Beach improves to 13-10 and 4-2 in Big West play.

UC SAN DIEGO 8, LONG BEACH STATE 2
Both teams remained scoreless through the first three innings of the first game of the doubleheader. UC San Diego open the scoring when they hung four runs on the board in the top of the fourth on three hits.
 
Jaden Hill got the Tritons going with a double to right field on a 1-2 count. Alexis Jimenez came up to the plate and was able to reach on a throwing error by the Beach, as she reached first, Hill was able to score. Ryanna Alano entered as a pinch runner for Jimenez at first. Lily Hermosillo then came up to bat and cracked another double out to left center and the speedy Alano came around to score from first. With Hermosillo in scoring position, Alexa DeMarse stepped up to the plate and sent a no doubter to left field for two more runs, 4-0.
 
The fifth inning was more of the same for the Tritons as Haley Garcia became the leadoff runner after earning a walk. Hill smacked another double to right field to plate Garcia and put herself in scoring position. A wild pitch advance Hill to third and Jimenez was walked on a full count. She proceeded to steal second to put runners on third and second. First baseman, Zara Wasserman laced a single past third base to clear the bases and extend the Tritons to a 7-0 lead.
 
Beach responded with a single run in the bottom of the fifth, 7-1.
 
In the seventh, Jimenez add one more run to the board on a solo homerun on the first pitch of her final at-bat. Beach was able to bring one more in the bottom of the seventh but couldn't overcome Claire Adams and the Triton defense.
 
LONG BEACH STATE 9, UC SAN DIEGO 4
In the final game of the series, Beach came back hard, scoring 6 runs before the Tritons could respond. Haley Garcia got the inning started with single slashed to second base to reach first. Jaden Hill sent her own single through the left side and advance Garcia to second. Alexis Jimenez laced her own single to center field to plate Garcia, 1-6.
 
In the fifth, Morgan Eng and Hill stole their respective bases at the same time and when the Beach catcher overthrew, Eng made her way home to score, 2-6.
 
Hitting her second home run of the day, Alexa DeMarse powered a solo home run over the left field fence to pull within three of their hosts, 3-6. In the bottom of the same inning, Beach responded with three more runs to pull away to 3-9.
 
Rallying in the seventh, the Tritons put together a single and a double to get Eng to third and Hill on second. Jimenez hit a sac fly to bring Eng the final 60 feet home, 4-9. UC San Diego's final out was tallied before Hill or any other Tritons could come home to score.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Jaden Hill was 5-for-7 with three doubles, two runs, and one run batted in.
• Alexa DeMarse hit a home run in each game today – her first of the season.
• Alexis Jimenez hit her second home run of the season in the first game of the doubleheader.
• Claire Adams tossed her second complete game of her collegiate career in game one of the doubleheader. The junior tossed five strikeouts and only allowed two runs on seven hits.

 UP NEXT
UC San Diego returns to La Jolla to host UC Riverside in a three-game series sent to begin on Saturday, March 22 and wrap on Sunday, March 23.
 
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 has begun a new era 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 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.