LAFAYETTE, La.— UC San Diego baseball narrowly dropped the series finale to Louisiana, 4-3, on Sunday afternoon at Russo Park. The Tritons (4-6) outhit the Ragin' Cajuns (9-3), 10-6, and mounted a late-inning comeback with two runs in the sixth and one in the eighth but the early deficit proved too much to overcome.
 
Anthony Potestio finished 3-for-5 with a run scored, while Trevian Martinez went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a walk. Nick Costello and J.C. Allen were also credited with runs batted in and Gabe Camacho and Alex Leopard scored a run for the Tritons.
 
Starter Austin Bowker (0-1) was credited with the loss, pitching 3 1/3 innings and allowing three runs—two earned—on four hits with one walk and two hit batters. Nathan Huy and Julian Cazares both pitched a clean inning in relief without allowing a hit. Huy gave up one walk, while Cazares registered a strikeout. Nathan Ries also came in for 2 1/3 innings, allowing two hits, one walk and one unearned run, while recording one strikeout.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Louisiana was first to strike, scoring two runs on two hits to build a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. The Ragin' Cajuns added another run in the bottom of the second, after a one-out single was aided by two errors via failed pick off attempts to come around a score and make it 3-0.
 
The Tritons struck in the sixth inning when Potestio singled and later scored on a throwing error from the right fielder. Camacho singled and scored on Martinez's RBI single, narrowing the gap to 3-2. However, UL got a run back in the bottom of the inning, bringing the score to 4-2 after six innings.
 
UC San Diego threatened again in the top of the seventh, loading the bases via three consecutive singles with one out. However, a strikeout and a fly-out to center field ended the rally without a run. In the eighth inning, Leopard reached on a single and advanced to second on a throwing error. He scored on Costello's sacrifice fly, cutting the deficit to 4-3.
 
UC San Diego made one final push in the top of the ninth, when Potestio singled with one out to put the tying run aboard. Potestio advanced to second on a ground-out and Allen drew a walk to keep the rally going, but a strikeout ended the inning without a run for the Tritons.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Anthony Potestio recorded his second multi-hit game of the weekend, finishing the series 7-for-12. 
• UC San Diego stranded 10 runners on base, compared to eight for UL.
• The Tritons used five pitchers, including Austin Bowker, Nathan Huy, Nathan Ries, Julian Cazares and Kayden Henson.
• UC San Diego is now 1-2 in the all-time series with Louisiana. 

 
UP NEXT
The Tritons will continue their road stretch, traveling for a four-game series at Cincinnati beginning Thursday, March 5 at 1 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.