UC San Diego

LONG BEACH, Calif. — UC San Diego baseball dropped a 3-1 decision to Long Beach State on Friday evening at Blair Field. The Tritons (19-22, 14-8 Big West) were held to three hits in the series opener with the Dirtbags (15-29, 9-16 Big West) who secured the victory after breaking a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the eighth. 
 
Steele Murdock had a solid outing, pitching 7.0 innings and allowing one run on six hits and four walks with nine strikeouts. Jake Villar (0-4) was credited with the loss, pitching 1.0 inning in relief and giving up two runs on two hits with three walks and one strikeout.
 
J.C. Allen hit the only extra-base hit for the Tritons with a double, while Trevian Martinez and Ryson Ujimori also registered a hit in the contest. Martinez scored the only run for UC San Diego and Thomas Maher was credited with an RBI.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Long Beach State took the early lead after scoring one run on one hit in the bottom of the first. 
 
The Tritons got two runners on in the second and two on in the third but were unable to bring in a run. UC San Diego finally broke through in the fourth after loading the bases with one out. Maher hit a sacrifice fly to right to score Delshaun Lanier—who reached via hit by pitch—tying the game at 1-1.
 
After allowing the lone run in the first inning, Murdock settled in to pitch a solid six scoreless innings for the Tritons. He was aided by a pair of double plays in the second and fifth innings, and left the bases loaded in the seventh.
 
The Tritons got a runner on base in the fifth and sixth, but both times they were unable to score, keeping the game knotted at 1-1. 
 
In the bottom of the eighth, the Dirtbags broke the tie with two runs on two hits, both scored with two outs. With runners on the corners, a single to left field scored the first run for LBSU and a bases-loaded walk added the second to make it 3-1 for the home team.
 
In the ninth, Lanier drew a leadoff walk, but a fielder's choice, a pop-out and a groundout ended the game without a run for the Tritons.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• The Tritons recorded three hits and left nine runners on base, while LBSU recorded eight hits and left 12 runners on base.
• The Tritons used two pitchers in the contest, including Steele Murdock and Jake Villar.
• UC San Diego is now 10-7 in the all-time series with Long Beach State. 

 
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will continue the weekend series at Long Beach State on Saturday at 6 p.m. There will not be a video stream but 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 24-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 39 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 90 percent, the highest rate among institutions in NCAA Division I or II.