LAFAYETTE, La.— UC San Diego baseball secured a 7-3 victory over Louisiana on Friday evening at Russo Park, with the Tritons (4-4) capitalizing on a three-run first inning to set the pace. UC San Diego's pitching staff held the Ragin' Cajuns (7-3) to three runs on 10 hits while recording 12 strikeouts in nine innings.
 
Trevian Martinez led the team with a notable performance, recording five RBI including a three-run home run and finishing 2-for-5. Anthony Potestio contributed with four hits and two stolen bases, finishing 4-for-5 with an RBI. In his first collegiate start, Shane Cannon added to the team's efforts with two hits and one run scored, along with a walk. Gabe Camacho reached base twice via hit-by-pitches and scored both times for the Tritons. 
 
UC San Diego's pitching staff delivered a solid performance against Louisiana, with Steele Murdock (1-0) leading the charge. Murdock pitched 5.0 innings, striking out seven batters while allowing three earned runs on nine hits, and did not issue any walks, earning his first win of the season. Devon King provided strong relief, contributing 2.0 innings of scoreless work, striking out three and allowing just one hit. Julian Cazares closed out the game with 2.0 innings, striking out two and not allowing a single hit or run, securing the win for the Tritons.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego took an early lead in the first inning when Martinez homered to left field, driving in Alex Leopard and Camacho. Potestio singled to keep the momentum going, but back-to-back strikeouts kept the lead at 3-0 for the visitors.
 
In the third inning, the Tritons added to their lead. After being hit by a pitch, Leopard scored on a double to center by J.C. Allen, extending the lead to 4-0.
 
The fourth inning saw further action from UC San Diego to build a 6-0 advantage. Shane Cannon singled, and both he and Camacho, who was hit by a pitch, scored on a single by Martinez. Louisiana got on the board in the bottom of the inning with a pair of RBI doubles to make it 6-2. A diving catch by Nick Costello in right field ended the inning and limited the damage.
 
The Ragin' Cajuns narrowed the gap in the fifth inning with a run, but the Tritons responded in the sixth. Michael Crossland, hit by a pitch, scored on Potestio's single to left field, making it 7-3.
 
King and Cazares held Louisiana scoreless through the final 4.0 innings, allowing just two base runners and combining for five strikeouts to preserve the 7-3 victory.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Trevian Martinez recorded a career high five RBI in the contest—the most by a Triton in a game this season.
• Anthony Potestio matched his career high with four hits in the contest—the most by a Triton in a game this season.
• After being plunked two times in the contest, Gabe Camacho currently leads the nation in hit-by-pitch with 11 and has a .537 on base percentage.
• Shane Cannon made his first collegiate start and Drake Bicknell made his first start for the Tritons.
• The Tritons used three pitchers, including Steele Murdock, Devon King and Julian Cazares.
• UC San Diego is now 1-0 in the all-time series with Louisiana. 

 
UP NEXT
The Tritons will return to action in Lafayette for game two of the weekend series with Louisiana on Saturday at 12 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available via UCSDTritons.com.
 
Article partially generated with FanWord.
 
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.