April 1 (Game 1)
UC San Diego 5,
Hawaii Pacific 0
A four-run fifth inning for the Tritons gave UCSD the edge in its shutout over No. 22 Hawaii Pacific in the first round of the 2011 Tournament of Champions hosted by Cal State Stanislaus.
After an unearned run from pinch-runner Lyndsay Gaylord put UCSD on the board, Kris Lesovsky sent a double to right center to earn two RBI. Taylor Sepulveda followed up to send Lesovsky in to score.
Camille Gaito (14-1) allowed Pacific — the defending NCAA Division-II Champion — only one hit, while recording six strikeouts.
April 1 (Game 2)
UC San Diego 11,
Dominican 0 (5 innings)
The Tritons converted all of their 11 hits in an 11-0 rout over Dominican College, who is just 1-22 on the season. Lesovsky went 2-for-4 and Jennifer De Fazio went 2-for-3, while designated hitter Rhiannon Ousley went 1-for-2, recording three RBI.
In her fifth win of the season, pitcher Tess Granath struck out eight Penguins, while allowing only one hit.
April 1 (Game 3)
Montana State-Billings 5,
UC San Diego 2
With two outs and two men on base, Montana State Billings catcher Kelly Parsons homered for three RBI, putting UCSD in the hole 4-0 in the first inning.
The Tritons recovered two runs in the second inning, when Jennifer Manuel scored off of a Sarah Woofter RBI. Dyanna Imoto singled to send Maya Romero in to score. Manuel (3-2) lasted only 3 1/3 innings in the loss.
April 2 (Game 1)
UC San Diego 3,
Western Oregon 1
The Tritons used a sixth-inning rally to break a 1-1 tie and held on for the win.
Western Oregon University took a 1-0 lead in the third inning. The Tritons equalized in the fourth when Katrin Gabriel, pinch-running for Esther Strom, scored off of a Woofter RBI.
The game remained tied until the sixth inning when Kirsten Willmon, pinch-running for Jennifer Manuel, got on base and stole second, advancing to third off a Brown sacrifice bunt. Willmon was brought home off another Woofter RBI. Lyndsay Gaylord pinch ran for Woofter, stealing second and third in succession, and was brought home by a Lesovsky single.
April 2 (Game 2)
UC San Diego 9,
Grand Canyon 0
Camile Gaito pitched her sixteenth win — and second of the day — as the Tritons easily downed Grand Canyon.
Gaito recorded seven strike-outs to and went the distance to get the complete game shutout. Seven Tritons scored in the win, with De Fazio finishing with 3 RBI, and Lesovsky, Sepulveda, and Woofter all recording 2 RBI.
April 2 (Game 2)
UC San Diego 2,
Dixie State 1
Camille Gaito pitched her sixteenth win, and second of the day, as the Tritons easily downed Grand Canyon.
Gaito recorded seven strikeouts and went the distance to get the complete game shutout. Seven Tritons scored for the win, with De Fazio finishing with three RBI, and Lesovsky, Sepulveda and Woofter all recording two RBI.
April 3
UC San Diego 4,
Montana State-Billings 3 (8 innings)
The Tritons got payback for their loss to Montana State-Billings two days prior in an extra inning win to take the Silver Bracket at the Tournament of Champions.
The Yellowjackets struck first in the second inning, going up 1-0. Billings furthered their lead in the fifth, scoring two on a Triton error. With men on second and third, Meg Harasymczuk sent a ball down the third-base line, where an error by third baseman Sarah Woofter brought both runners home.
Down 3-0, the Tritons began to dig themselves out in the sixth inning, when pinch-runner Katrin Gabriel scored off of a Woofter RBI.
Up against the wall in the seventh inning, the Tritons managed to position Lesovsky and De Fazio on second and third. With two outs, Jennifer Manuel singled up the middle, bringing both runners home and pushing the game into extra innings.
Woofter was placed on second, and advanced to third base off of a sacrifice bunt from Maya Romero. She was brought home off of a De Fazio single.
With a 0.25 ERA and 5-0 record, Camille Gaito earned Top Pitcher honors, while De Fazio was named top hitter after hitting .579 throughout the tournament. The Triton duo was joined by Manuel on the All-Tournament Team.
“This past weekend really showed our team’s heart and perseverance, especially during the last game against Montana State Billings,” senior outfielder Katrin Gabriel said. “Each person on the team contributed to winning the game when we were down 3-0.”
The Tritons are now ranked No. 9 and 26-7 overall this season.
“We are definitely on a roll and the great part is that we still have more room to grow,” assistant coach Jessica Millsap said. “This is a very special team and we are looking to go further than we ever have before. Although our goal is the National Championship, we are taking one game at a time. The girls are focused and I look forward to some fireworks at the end of season.”
The Tritons have three remaining series matchups left in their regular season. Their next pair of games is scheduled for April 8 and April 9 in Turlock, against Cal State Stanislaus.
Readers can contact Rachel Uda at [email protected]
