The Tritons took to the field late last week to open California Collegiate Athletic Association play with a four-game set against California State University San Bernardino. The first two games went down at Triton Field Thursday and Friday, while the Coyotes hosted the series-ending doubleheader Saturday.
Guardian
In the Thursday afternoon tilt, the Tritons sent Alexander Cremidan to the mound to make the historic inaugural CCAA start.
CSU San Bernardino countered with Brett Rudrude, who looked impressive, pitching the Coyotes to a 3-1 victory. He struck out seven while walking only one and allowing just two hits en route to the complete-game win. UCSD picked up its only run on an Eric Thorpe double in the ninth. Cremidan was also solid on the hill, giving up a pithy four hits, while striking out seven and walking just one in nine innings of work.
The Tritons helped the Coyotes by committing two crucial errors that resulted in a run in the fifth, and by giving up one more run on a Cremidan wild pitch in the sixth.
The Tritons sent ace John Beaven to the mound for Friday’s game in hopes shutting down the Coyotes evening the series. The game ended up being more of an offensive affair, though, with the Tritons on the short end of an 8-5 score.
The Tritons threatened in the ninth, scoring two runs to cut the Coyote lead to three runs and loading the bases with one out for Nate Bestul, who had already homered earlier in the night. But reliever Brian Hammer shut the door on the rally by striking out Bestul and getting Chris Tallman to ground out to third to end the game.
UCSD suffered from a lack of clutch hitting in the game, leaving a total of 11 runners on base, including the three in the bottom of the ninth. Coach Dan O’Brien saw that as the main reason for the loss.
“”We needed the timely hits and didn’t get them,”” O’Brien said. “”We had our chances to score but just didn’t come through.””
The Saturday doubleheader in San Bernardino was a veritable defensive bloodbath, as the two teams combined for a whopping 38 runs. The Coyotes piled on 13 runs on 11 hits, including a home run by freshman Brian Schweiger to down the Tritons 13-2.
In the second game the Tritons fared much better, pounding out 19 hits to avoid a sweep with a 16-7 win. They really poured it on in the eighth inning, scoring half of their 16 runs.
With their first series complete, the Tritons’ CCAA record now stands at 1-3. They will play a nonleague game in Orange against Chapman University on Tuesday before looking to improve on that record this weekend when they face off against San Francisco State in a four-game set. The series will be played at Triton field here at UCSD, with the first game happening Friday at 2:30 p.m., followed by a doubleheader Saturday at noon and the series finale Sunday at noon.
O’Brien knows the Tritons will be in the thick of things once the season gets rolling.
“”It’s a very even league. Anyone can beat anyone on any given day,”” he said. “”We’re not taking any team lightly and nobody in the league should take us lightly.””
If the Tritons are to be successful this season, O’Brien said, the whole team has to compete.
“”We are going to need a team effort to get it done,”” he said. “”Everyone has to contribute.””
