The Triton softball team competed in the CSU Bakersfield Mountain Dew Classic on April 25 through April 27 in Bakersfield, Calif., and played a doubleheader against San Francisco State on April 28, also in Bakersfield.
Guardian file
The tournament started off on a high note for the Tritons, who defeated Sonoma State with a mercy rule 9-0 victory. Sophomore Keri Hanley pitched five innings of shutout ball to receive her sixth win of the season.
UCSD collected 11 hits in four innings, including a home run by sophomore Breanne Cope, her second of the season. Sophomore Jamie Hurst knocked in three runs and freshman Desiree Franciscus had two runs and two RBIs.
“”We came out aggressive and had some key hits,”” said UCSD head coach Patti Gerckens. “”Everything was working for us, and it was a lot of fun.””
The second game of the Mountain Dew Classic was a tough 1-0 loss for the Tritons against Western New Mexico. Freshman Stephanie Kurz took the loss, bringing her record down to 9-8 on the season. UCSD was able to get five hits, including two from Hurst and junior Amy Mettee, despite not being able to bring in a run.
“”Our defense was really strong,”” Gerckens said. “”We had a lot of offensive opportunities but we just couldn’t score.””
In the third game of the tourney, the Tritons pulled off a 5-2 victory against San Francisco State from behind an eight inning performance by Hanley, which brought her record up to 7-11 on the season. While the bats were slow for UCSD, they managed to tie the game at two in the seventh inning, and scored three in the eighth to take the victory.
“”It took a while for our bats to come alive, but it was much better late than never,”” Gerckens said.
The fourth game for UCSD was against UC Davis. The match resulted in a 4-0 Triton setback, with the loss going to Kurz, her ninth of the season. The Tritons were only able to muster two hits, one from Hurst and one from Mettee.
“”Our bats really quieted down,”” Gerckens said. “”Davis is a great hitting team; they hit the ball all over the place, no matter where we pitched it.””
The final game of the Classic was a low note for the Tritons, who finished with a 9-1 mercy rule defeat at the hands of CSU Bakersfield. Junior Jodie Bland took the loss, putting her record at 5-7 on the season. Hurst scored UCSD’s lone run.
“”Bakersfield has won nine of their last 10 games, and I think they’re the best team in our region right now,”” Gerckens said. “”No matter who we pitched, they hit us.””
After the Mountain Dew Classic, UCSD played a doubleheader against San Francisco State, winning both games by scores of 4-0 and 3-0, respectively. Kurz (10-9) and Hanley (8-11) earned the respective pitching victories.
In the first game, Mettee went 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI, while Bland went 2-for-3. In the second game, Cope went 2-for-3 with a home run, which was her third of the year, and junior Kim Aggabao went 2-for-2.
“”We had a couple key wins,”” Gerckens said. “”We could’ve been tired from the tournament, but we were playing for pride. San Francisco has a high team batting average, so shutting them out was impressive.””
The Tritons final four games of the season take place on May 2 and May 3, with two games each against CSU Dominguez Hills and Bakersfield, all home games.
