Offense Lifts UCSD to Series Victory

    The UCSD baseball team is right where it wants to be in the standings as it crosses into the latter half of its California Collegiate Athletic Association schedule. With a 14-6 league record, the Tritons are sitting in third place and trail only first-place Cal State Los Angeles and a streaking Sonoma State team by a manageable margin with 12 straight CCAA games looming on the schedule from April 13 to April 29.

    While every one of the 12 games will be important, the four games the Tritons will play against Chico State on April 20 to April 22 could decide their placement come tournament time. The Tritons will take on the Wildcats on the road and with Chico State just a half-game behind UCSD in the standings, the outcome of this series could make or break the Tritons’ playoff hopes.

    If the Tritons’ most recent series against the Toros from March 29 to March 31 is any indicator, then the team is getting hot at just the right time. In the first two games of the series, on March 29 and 30, the Tritons hosted CSUDH and took the first game 8-3 and then exploded for a 13-6 win in the second game. To finish the series, the Tritons traveled to Carson, Calif. for a doubleheader on March 31, which they split with the Toros to take a 3-1 series win.

    “”We went 3-1 that weekend, but that one loss could be the difference between first and second in the league,”” senior catcher David Morehead said. “”So we have to concentrate on winning every game we can.””

    UCSD was in position for a sweep after winning the first game of the doubleheader 10-6, but faltered in the series finale. The Toros scored eight runs in the first three innings to take a huge lead and the Tritons rallied a bit too late, as even a five-run ninth inning could not save them from a 14-9 loss.

    In the 10-6 win, Morehead went 4-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs and shortstop Vance Albitz sparked the Triton offense from the leadoff spot, going 3-for-6 with a run and three RBIs. In the other two wins, sophomore first baseman Matt Cantele was dominant, going 7-for-8 with five runs and seven RBIs.

    When asked about his team’s offensive power, Morehead complimented the depth of the lineup.

    “”It’s amazing,”” he said. “”There’s always guys on in front of you and there’s always guys behind you that can drive you in. It’s really one of those things you can feed off of as a hitter.””

    Morehead also credited a strategy that UCSD uses to improve.

    “”What has helped us score a lot of runs is that we’ve been effective at gettting into the bullpen and getting to the lower quality pitchers on their teams,”” he said.

    Before the Tritons start their next CCAA series, they will face two nonconference opponents this week at home. First, the Tritons will take on Cal State San Marcos on April 3, before hosting Grand Canyon University for three games on April 6 and 7.

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