SANTA CLARA, Calif.—UC San Diego baseball dropped a 10-5 decision to Santa Clara on Thursday evening in Schott Stadium. The Tritons (13-11) stranded 15 runners on base compared to six for the Broncos (10-11) in game one of the weekend series.
 
Noah Lazuka led the Tritons offensively, finishing 3-for-5 with a double, a walk, and an RBI. Cooper Thacker went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk and an RBI, while Alex Leopard and Garrett Davidson were also credited with an RBI each. Starter Jake Villar (0-2) was credited with the loss, pitching 4.0 innings and allowed nine runs (three earned) on eight hits and two walks. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons loaded the bases in the top of the first with one out, but a strikeout and a fly-out ended the threat without a run. UC San Diego cashed in an inning later when Lazuka singled up the middle and plated two runs to give the Tritons a 2-0 advantage.
 
Santa Clara answered in the bottom of the inning however, scoring five runs on five hits and one error to take the lead, 5-2. The Broncos added to their advantage in the fourth inning with four runs on three hits and two errors to make it 9-2.
 
The Tritons loaded the bases in the top of the fifth but came up empty once again. UC San Diego had runners in scoring position in the seventh and eighth innings as well but still ended the innings without a run. 
 
The Broncos added another run to their lead in the bottom of the seventh with an RBI single to make it 10-2. 
 
UC San Diego rallied one final time in the top of the ninth, getting singles from Gabe Camacho and Trevian Martinez as well as a hit by pitch for J.C. Allen to load the bases with no outs. Back-to-back fielder's choice grounders by Davidson and Leopard plated a pair of runs for the Tritons before Thacker knocked a double to the wall in left center to bring in the third. Patrick Hackworth drew a two-out walk to continue the inning but the Tritons were unable to bring in another run, falling 10-5.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• It is the fourth consecutive game the Tritons have allowed 10 runs for an opponent.
• UC San Diego used four pitchers in the contest, including Jake Villar, Ethan Remmers, Trevor Nickerson and Landon Marchetti.
• The Tritons moved to 0-1 in the weekend series with Santa Clara and 3-8 in the all-time series.

UP NEXT
The Tritons will remain in Santa Clara for game two of the weekend series on Friday at 6 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available via 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 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 84 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.