Softball drops three on the road

    The UCSD softball team dropped a doubleheader to Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday before splitting with Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday. The 1-3 weekend dropped the Tritons to 16-6 overall, and 8-4 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association.

    Friday’s contest with Cal State Dominguez Hills started out as a pitchers duel. UCSD’s Christi Martinelli and the Toros’ Tracy Barrientos threw scoreless ball for five innings.

    In the top of the sixth, the Triton bats started working. Amy Mettee got one of her four hits on the afternoon, this one a leadoff double. Kim Aggabao laid down a sacrifice bunt and Leea Harlan’s groundout brought Mettee home for the game’s first run.

    The Toros tied the game in the bottom half of the inning with a leadoff walk, stolen base, wild pitch and passed ball that turned into a run.

    The opener appeared to be headed to extra innings when Martinelli got two quick outs to start the seventh, but a hit batter and a stolen base set the stage for Sasha Shell’s two-out single that gave the Toros the 2-1 victory.

    “”They’re a really scrappy team and they put the ball in play,”” Aggabao said. “”They do the little things well.””

    UCSD came into the second game looking for a split, but Toro pitcher Patrina Smith four-hit UCSD for a 3-0 win.

    The Tritons looked to pick up some wins against Cal State Bakersfield but were denied in the first game, falling 2-1.

    Val Rodriguez’ two-out double started the scoring in the second inning for the Roadrunners and put them in position to break the game open. After a single advanced Rodriguez to third, the Triton defense stumbled; an attempt to throw out a stealing Roadrunner sailed into center field, allowing the second run of the inning.

    The Tritons scored a single run in the sixth when Jamie Hurst knocked in Aggabao, but that was all UCSD could manage and it dropped its third consecutive game 2-1.

    “”We really didn’t have great offense,”” said Triton head coach Patti Gerckens. “”We have to score more than one run to win.””

    When UCSD trotted back onto the field for game two, the focus was on salvaging something from its four-game road trip. Martinelli returned to the mound and was brilliant, surrendering only six hits over seven innings for the shutout. The Tritons found ample offense in the third inning when Breanne Cope, Aggabao and Kristina Anderson strung together hits to produce a 2-0 victory.

    “”We could have just died, but we didn’t,”” Gerckens said. “”We pulled together and when it was time to sink or swim, we decided to start swimming.””

    “”That was a big win for us,”” Aggabao said. “”On the road you have to pick it up a little bit and we wanted to show them how UCSD plays softball.””

    The Tritons return home this weekend for CCAA doubleheaders with San Francisco State and Sonoma State.

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