HONOLULU–With the season on the line, UC San Diego baseball secured the 12-6 victory over Hawai'i on Friday evening at Les Murakami Stadium. The Tritons (26-24, 15-14 Big West) evened the series with the Rainbow Warriors (32-19, 15-14 Big West) with both teams battling for a spot in the Big West Championship next week.
Starter
Nic Gregson went 4.0 innings, allowing four runs (two earned) on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts.
Steele Murdock (1-3) pitched 2.1 scoreless innings in relief to earn his first collegiate victory, allowing three hits with one walk and three strikeouts.
J.C. Allen had another standout performance, going 2-for-5 with a double, a home run and five RBI. With Allen's home run, the Tritons have tied the program's all-time record with 78 homers this season.
Alex Leopard went 1-for-3 with a triple, two walks, three RBI and a run scored, while
Gabe Camacho finished 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, two RBI and two runs scored.
Thomas Maher drew two walks and was hit twice, scoring three times for the Tritons.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both teams were quiet to start the contest, going scoreless through the first two innings. UC San Diego got on the board first with a two-out RBI double to left center by Camacho in the top of the third.
With a light rain beginning to fall in the bottom half of the inning, Hawai'i plated a pair of runs on back-to-back wild pitches and an RBI ground out to take the lead, 3-2.
The Tritons rallied for five runs in the top of the fifth to retake the lead, 7-3. A pair of walks by
Cooper Thacker and
Anthony Potestio and a hit-by-pitch for
Thomas Maher loaded the bases with no outs. Crossland grounded out to the first baseman, but a run scored to tie the game 3-3. Leopard then hit a bases-clearing triple down the right field line to make it 6-3, Tritons. Leopard would then score on a wild pitch to bring in the fifth run of the inning.
Hawai'i scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the inning, but back-to-back strikeouts for
Jake Villar and
Steele Murdock ended the inning to limit the damage, 7-4. UC San Diego answered right back in the top of the sixth with a two-out double to center field for Allen that plated two runs to make it 9-4.
The 'Bows threatened in the bottom of the seventh, loading the bases with no outs. Murdock secured the first out via strikeout and Thacker doubled up the runner at second with a perfect throw after catching a line out in left field to end the inning without a run.
The Tritons added to their lead in the eighth with a three-run homer to left by Allen to make it 12-4. UH rallied one last time in the bottom of the ninth, scoring two runs on one hit but a strikeout from
Julian Cazares and a fly-out to right field held the score at 12-6 for the victory.
TRITON TIDBITS
- The Tritons have tied the program's all-time record with 78 homers this season, matching the number set in 60 games in 2018 (D-II).
- J.C. Allen knocked his 13th home run of the season and his fifth in as many games. He currently ranks second in the Big West, trailing only to his teammate Michael Crossland (14).
- Allen's five RBI matches his season high and brings his total to 15 RBI in the last five games for the Tritons.
- Steele Murdock recorded his first collegiate victory in the contest.
- The Tritons used six pitchers in the contest, including Nic Gregson, Jake Villar, Steele Murdock, Sam Hasegawa, Julian Cazares and Devon King.
- UC San Diego moved to 5-10 in the all-time series with Hawai'i and 1-1 in the weekend series.
UP NEXT
The teams will take Saturday off for Hawai'i commencement and then wrap up the series on Sunday at 4 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with live statistics 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 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 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.
