The Triton baseball team ventured to Cal State Stanislaus last weekend, seven games out of first place and seeking to regain the momentum it had before spring break.

In the first game against the Warriors, UCSD won 3-2.

The Warriors came out early and scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning off a string of four hits. After Stanislaus second baseman Jarrett DeVault drew a walk from Triton pitcher Keith Smith, he later scored on a single by Kyle Sleeth.

Warrior cleanup hitter Sean Findley then lined a single to center field, followed by a single from first baseman Hector Alaniz. Third baseman Buck Simmons drove in Findley with the Warriors’ third-consecutive single into left-center field. Stanislaus did not score again.

Down 2-0, the Tritons began chipping away at the lead in the top of the third.

With two outs in the inning, UCSD left fielder John Bologna singled to left. Bologna then stole second base and scored on center fielder Matt Smith’s triple.

The Tritons kept the pressure on in the fourth when UCSD first baseman Chad Addison doubled to center field. Third baseman Keith Albrecht then tripled to center field and scored Addison.

In the top of the ninth, Albrecht singled through the left side of the infield. Freshman shortstop Keith Hernandez laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Albrecht to second. Bologna then singled home Albrecht with two out in the top of the ninth inning.

Bologna finished the day 3-for-5, with an RBI and a run.

Smith lasted seven innings for UCSD, but Triton closer James Sanders struck out three and induced a double play upon entering in the eighth to earn his first win of 2002. Stanislaus’ Eric Fagan pitched a complete game in the loss and fell to 4-6.

The Tritons and Warriors engaged in a twinbill affair Saturday.

In the first game of the doubleheader, both teams scored a run in the first inning. For UCSD, Smith scored off of an error by Warrior pitcher Scott Taylor. The Warriors got on the board when DeVault scored on Alaniz’s single.

Warrior left fielder Colter Bissell, who went 4-for-4 in the game, scored in the bottom of the second, and Stanislaus struck again in the fourth when center fielder Alan Dunn scored off shortstop Kyle Dennis’ single up the middle.

UCSD’s Bologna kept the Tritons in the game when he blasted a home run over the left field fence in the top of the fifth inning.

Stanislaus closed out the game with another run in the eighth inning, taking game two of the series 4-2.

Triton pitcher Andy Hanau acquired the loss for UCSD and fell to 3-4 while Cal State Stanislaus’ Taylor went the full nine innings and improved to 3-3.

The second game of the double-header found UCSD on top once again after it scored six times in the top of the fourth inning to beat the Warriors 8-5.

Triton senior ace John Beaven went four and one-third innings to earn the win and improve to 6-4, while Sanders picked up his sixth save of the year. Warrior Justin Schwitters got the loss and fell to 2-7 after he surrendered seven runs on nine hits after just 3.2 innings of play.

Stanislaus’ Findley continued to have a successful series, going 2-for-4 in the game with three RBIs. But his work alone could not overcome the Triton’s power surge in the top of the fourth.

UCSD second baseman Matt Merrifield began the inning with a single to center field, he then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Hernandez walked and Bologna doubled to left field. He advanced to third on the throw, thus scoring both Hernandez and Merrifield. Smith singled to left field and drove in Bologna.

Designated hitter Jeff Riddle doubled to left center and Smith scored on the play. Immediately following, Albrecht doubled down the left field line and knocked in Riddle. Right fielder David Hawk drew a walk, and Merrifield reached on an error. Albrecht then scored on a wild pitch.

Bologna went 8-for-13 in the series and greatly contributed to the offensive explosion that boosted UCSD past the Warriors in the third game of the series.

Cal State Stanislaus fell to 8-23 after the series.

The Tritons improve to 20-15 in the CCAA and will play their last four-game series of the regular season against UC Davis next weekend.