IRVINE, Calif. —No. 3 UC San Diego baseball secured a decisive 5-1 victory over No. 5 Cal State Fullerton in the elimination game of the Big West Championship on Friday evening in Anteater Ballpark. The Tritons (25-27) tallied four doubles in the game, contributing to a late three-run rally in the eighth inning to seal the win over the Titans (24-32). It marked the program's first Division I postseason win.
Nic Gregson (1-7) put together his best outing to earn his first win of the season, pitching 7.0 innings for the Tritons, allowing six hits and one earned run while striking out four batters. He threw a total of 93 pitches, with 61 strikes, securing the win for the team.
Devon King relieved Gregson, pitching 2.0 scoreless innings without allowing a hit and struck out two batters. King's performance was efficient, using only 19 pitches to earn his third save of the season.
Gabe Camacho had a strong performance, finishing with three hits including a double and one RBI and a run scored.
Nathaniel Widelski contributed significantly by driving in two runs with a double, while
Anthony Potestio and
Addison Klepsch also recorded doubles in the contest.
Alex Leopard tallied a run scored and an RBI that ultimately proved to be the game-winner.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After both teams got off to a slow start, UC San Diego's offense initiated the scoring in the third inning when
Ryson Ujimori walked and advanced on Potestio's walk. Camacho then singled through the right side, driving in Ujimori for the first run of the game.
Gregson stranded five Fullerton base runners in the first four innings before the Titans evened the score in the fifth. After a leadoff double down the left field line and a single put runners on the corners with no outs, Fullerton brought in the tying run on a fielder's choice to
J.C. Allen at third base. Gregson induced a fly-out and a line out to center field to limit the runs and keep the score 1-1.
The Tritons broke the tie in the eighth inning.
Addison Klepsch doubled and advanced to third on a sacrifice by Camacho. Leopard reached on a fielder's choice squeeze bunt, allowing Klepsch to score the go-ahead run. After the Tritons loaded the bases with two outs, Widelski's ground-rule double down the third base line drove in two more runs, giving UC San Diego a 4-1 lead.
In the ninth inning, the Tritons added an insurance run. Camacho doubled to left center and was brought home by Allen's single through the left side. Allen advanced to second on the throw, solidifying the lead for UC San Diego.
King entered in the eighth and retired the Titans in order on only eight pitches. He recorded another 1-2-3 inning in the ninth with seven pitches, including a final strikeout to end the contest.
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
TRITON TIDBITS
- The win is the first for the Tritons in Big West and Division I postseason play.
- The Triton pitching staff has combined to allow just one run in each of their first two contests of the Big West Championship, using three pitchers total across two games.
- UC San Diego is now 15-5 in the all-time series with Cal State Fullerton and 3-1 this season.
UP NEXT
No. 3 UC San Diego is set to face No. 1 UC Santa Barbara in another elimination game on Saturday at 1 p.m. The winner will face No. 2 Cal Poly in the Big West Championship title game Saturday evening at 6 p.m. The conference tournament is being hosted at Anteater Ballpark in Irvine, Calif. with a live broadcasts on ESPN+ and 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 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.
