LA JOLLA, Calif- Sonoma State's struggles on the baseball diamond continued on Saturday afternoon as No. 2 UC San Diego pulled off a doubleheader sweep at Triton Ballpark in La Jolla. UCSD took game one 9-7 before coming back for a 4-3 win in the nightcap with two runs in the bottom of the seventh. The Seawolves fall to 9-12, 2-9 CCAA. The Tritons (22-3, 13-2 CCAA) have now won the first three games of the series and will go for the sweep on Sunday morning.
GAME ONE:
Comeback Attempt Is Too Little, Too Late
Following a frustrating 10-2 defeat on Friday, the Seawolves got out to a strong start in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader when
Austin Hogans singled home a run in the first inning. UC San Diego would be quick to answer, as Brandon Gregorich doubled with the bases loaded off
Scott Alexander to put the Tritons up, 3-1.
Ryan Stevens would bring Sonoma even in the fourth on a two-run double to center. Again, however, the Tritons would pull ahead with four runs in the sixth which would give them a lead they would not relinquish.
The Tritons put up two runs in the bottom of the eighth to push the lead to 9-3 and though the Seawolves would mount a rally that was capped by a one-out grand slam by
Kyle Jones, they could get no closer than 9-7.
Alexander (0-4) was tagged with the loss. He surrendered seven runs on five hits and five walks in six innings of work. In addition to Jones' seventh inning blast, the Seawolves would get doubles from
Joey Parigi,
Randy Wells, and Stevens.
Matt Rossman (5-0) picked up the win for UC San Diego, tossing six innings and giving up three runs. No Triton would have more than one hit as the Seawolves led in that category, 11-7.
GAME TWO: Seawolves Come Undone In Bottom Of The Seventh
For the second game in a row, the Seawolves would be the first team to score as they went up 1-0 on a
Max Shupe in the second inning.
Shupe struck again in the fourth when, following a walk to Ryan Stevens, he tagged a home run to left center to put the Seawolves ahead, 3-0.
Sonoma State was cruising behind starting pitcher
Thomas Lee, who held the Tritons scoreless until a leadoff home run by Robert Sedin in the fifth. Lee would get into a jam in the bottom of the sixth, allowing three consecutive singles and letting the lead shrink to 3-2 before
Kendall Davis came in to end the threat, striking out Sedin and forcing Vance Albitz to ground out.
Three outs from victory and clinging to a 3-2 lead, Davis and the Seawolf defense ran into a wall in the seventh. Following two infield singles and a walk,
Randy Wells was charged with an error that allowed the tying run to score. With the bases still loaded, and nobody out, Blake Tagmyer put a ball in play that was fielded deep behind second. However, a throw home to get the lead runner was late, completing the comeback win for the Tritons.
Davis was charged with the loss after giving up two runs in 2/3 of an inning. Lee scattered eight hits over 5 2/3 in a no-decision. Shupe was the star at the plate for Sonoma State, finishing 2-for-3 with three RBIs.
Tagmyer was 3-for-4 to lead the Tritons on offense. Guido Knudson went the distance, allowing just three hits and striking out six to pick up his fourth victory of the season.
TOMORROW
Game four of the series is set for tomorrow morning with an 11:00 am first pitch. The Seawolves are hoping to avoid their first four-game conference sweep since the 2004 season.
BOX SCORES
Game 1: No. 2 UC San Diego 9, Sonoma State 7
Game 2: No. 2 UC San Diego 4, Sonoma State 3