IRVINE, Calif.—UC San Diego baseball dropped the series finale to No. 8 UC Irvine, 8-4, on Sunday afternoon in Anteater Ballpark. With the loss, the Tritons (24-21, 13-11 Big West) moved to 2-1 in the weekend series with the Anteaters (34-11, 20-4 Big West).
 
Anthony Potestio went 2-for-4, while Thomas Maher finished 1-for-3 with two RBI. Michael Crossland and Cooper Thacker both knocked solo home runs. Starter Steele Murdock (0-3) was credited with the loss, pitching 4.1 innings and allowing five earned runs on six hits with two strikeouts.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC Irvine was first to strike, getting two runs on two hits in the bottom of the first inning. The Anteaters threatened for more with the bases loaded and two outs but a groundout to Lomanto at first base ended the inning with the score 2-0.
 
The Tritons responded immediately in the top of the second, advancing two runs into scoring position on a sac-bunt by  Thacker. Maher singled to center field to score both runners and tie the game, 2-2. However, UCI reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the inning, 3-2, with an RBI double.
 
The Anteaters added two more runs on a hit and an error in the fourth to extend the lead, 5-2. UC San Diego got a run back in the top of the fifth with a solo home run to left center by Crossland to make it 5-3.
 
UC Irvine rallied one more time with three runs on two hits in the bottom of the fifth to take an 8-3 lead. The Tritons responded once again when Thacker hit a two-out homer to left field in the top of the sixth but were unable to cut into the deficit further. UC San Diego stranded a runner in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings before eventually falling, 8-4.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Michael Crossland knocked his 13th home run of the season which currently leads the Big West. Cooper Thacker recorded his fourth of the season.
• Anthony Potestio finished the series 7-for-11 (.636) with six runs scored and a .750 on base percentage.
• UC San Diego is 5-2 against ranked opponents this season.
• The Tritons now have 70 home runs this season and are just eight away from tying the program's all-time record (78; 2018).
• UC San Diego is 7-11 in the all-time series (7-9 in D-I) with UC Irvine and 2-1 in the weekend series.

UP NEXT
UC San Diego will return home for the final conference series this season in Triton Ballpark, playing host to UC Davis for three games beginning Friday at 6 p.m. The Tritons will celebrate 14 seniors before Sunday's finale. The games 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.