In Full Swing

    UCSD took the first game 4–0 before dropping the second matchup 3–4 in extra innings. The Tritons shut out the Warriors on Saturday 3–0 and capped the series with a tight 8–7 win on Sunday.

    “I think I know that our bullpen’s starting to shore up again and that these guys have a will to win,” UCSD Head Coach Eric Newman said to the UCSD Athletics Department. “They will embrace adversity: This is the second time we’ve come from behind to get a win and we didn’t do a lot of that last year and it’s good to see us do that this year. So I’m pretty excited about how this team keeps coming.”

    Newman explored the depth of his bullpen during the weekend’s series, sending nine pitchers out to the mound and coming back with some interesting results. No surprise, Goodbrand was stellar in the series opener; the Triton ace picked up his second All-West region acknowledgement of the 2013 season through just three weeks of play. Sophomore Dan Kolodin had another solid start, going six innings in his third start of the season and recording nine strikeouts and allowing just three hits.

    At the plate, the Triton lineup has looked stronger and stronger with every subsequent game. Newman seems to have a winning formula with Moyer batting in the two-spot and alternating between Spencer Frazier, Corbin Wirta, Brett Levy and Troy Cruz later in the lineup.

    The Tritons will look to protect their rank this weekend against CSU Dominguez Hills in a home-and-away series. UCSD will travel to Carson, Calif. to face the Toros on Thursday and Friday, Feb. 21–22 before returning home to close out the series.

    “This week in practice and next week we need to take another step in how we play,” Newman said. “All the way around: offense, base-running, pitching, defense, even attention to detail stuff. We just need to continue to get better.”

    GAME 1: No. 18 UCSD 4, CSU Stanislaus 0

    Senior starter Ryan Goodbrand recorded a career-high 11 strikeouts against Stanislaus in seven innings. The two-time All West Region Pitcher allowed just three runs before he was relieved by freshman Troy Cruz in his last two innings.

    UCSD went up 2-0 in the second inning as sophomore Brett Levy was batted in by freshman Grandeigh Sanchez. Sanchez was advanced to second on a balk and scored on a hit by senior leadoff hitter Danny Susdorf.

    Sanchez and Susdorf combined in the bottom of the seventh inning, when Sanchez was moved to third on a double from Susdorf. Sanchez scored off a single from junior transfer Jamie Moyer. The Warriors attempted to stop the bleeding, trading pitchers after the Tritons went up 3–0. But senior Justin Rahn immediately brought Susdorf home, bringing the score to 4–0.

    GAME 2: CSU Stanislaus 4, No. 18 UCSD 3

    The Warriors came from behind in the top of the 10th as Stanislaus’ Ross Gonsalvez batted in for two RBI as Stanislaus exhausted the Triton bullpen. UCSD managed to earn one run back in the bottom of the tenth, but it wasn’t enough to push an eleventh inning.

    Rahn went 4.1 innings to start, allowing just one run. Junior Blake Fassler took to the mound for the next 2.2 innings and kept the board clean. Junior right-hander David Hart did not fare favorably, letting in three runs on two hits and taking the loss. Newman eventually pulled Hart in favor of senior southpaw Richard Kilbury.

    GAME 3: No. 18 UCSD 3, CSU Stanislaus 0

    Senior Richard Siegel went 2–for–3, recording one double in the fourth inning and a homerun in the bottom of the sixth that put UCSD up 3–0. Junior Garrett Tuck and Cruz both had good games at the plate, going 1–for–2.

    But in the second game on Saturday, surprisingly, the Tritons really won on the strength of their underclassmen pitching.

    Sophomore Dan Kolodin went six innings, allowed just three hits and slated a career-high nine strikeouts. The sophomore, who has impressed early on, has a season ERA of just 1.2 in his three games started this season, having pitched 15 innings second only to Goodbrand, who leads UCSD in innings pitched with 18.

    Newman brought Kolodin off in the sixth in favor of sophomore Scott Zeman, who effectively closed out the game for UCSD.

    GAME 4: No. 18 UCSD 8, CSU Stanislaus 7

    It took the bulk of the roster to come from behind and take the last game of the series on Sunday, as Newman deployed 12 batters and six pitchers against the Warriors.

    True freshman Cruz recorded his first two-run homerun in the fourth inning to start digging the Tritons out of a 5–2 deficit. With two outs and redshirt freshman Corbin Wirta on third and Susdorf on second, Moyer singled to left field to bring both across.

    Back at the top of the lineup in the bottom of the sixth inning, Susdorf and Moyer both recorded an RBI apiece to give the Tritons the 8–6 lead.

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