The UCSD baseball team traveled north to Davis, Calif. April 2 through April 4 to be shut down by UC Davis in a four-game series. The Aggies downed the Tritons in game one by a 7-4 margin, then again in game two, 6-3, followed up by a 4-3 loss in the third outing, rounding out the weekend in game four by a score of 7-3. With the losses, UCSD falls to 25-16 overall and 15-13 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. The Tritons, previously ranked No. 10 in Division II, dropped out of the top 25 with the four losses to UC Davis.
“[The series at UC Davis] was a tough weekend for us, but the weekend is over and now it’s time to get ready for our next battle,” UCSD head coach Dan O’Brien said. “Great teams can take blows like this and move forward and that’s just what we’ll do.”
In game two of the series, the Tritshitons put up three runs in the top of the first inning, which would turn out to be the only runs scored by UCSD in the contest. The Aggies countered with two runs in the bottom half of the second inning before scoring three additional runs in the bottom of the fourth and tacking on an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth.
The Aggies narrowly inched out a victory over UCSD in game three by a score of 4-3. The Tritons opened the scoring in the top of the first inning after senior first baseman Jeff Riddle doubled home junior designated hitter Joel Clark. The Aggies countered with two runs in the bottom half of the first inning and an additional run in the bottom of the third.
Triton junior second baseman Ricky Pinnocchio tripled in the top of the fourth inning and scored on a wild pitch from UC Davis starting pitcher Travis Bearden, pulling UCSD to within one.
UCSD tacked on the tying run in the top of the seventh inning when freshman catcher David Morehead singled to center. Senior Brett Burton then came in to pinch run for Morehead. Senior pinch-hitter Keith Albrecht stepped to the plate only to ground out, but managed to advance Burton. Junior Ryan Langone then singled up the middle and brought Burton home.
Just when the Tritons saw the game within reach, UC Davis, in the bottom of the ninth, came up big, driving in a run to win the game 4-3.
The host Aggies scored four times in the seventh inning to win game four, sweeping the series, 4-0, for a second year in a row over the Tritons. The win was also the 16th straight CCAA win for UC Davis.
Even with the losses, the UCSD baseball team remains optimistic about the rest of the season and making the playoffs.
In addition, UC Davis is ineligible for the 2004 playoffs because of their current transition to Division I.
With three CCAA series left for the Tritons, the UCSD baseball team remains competitive for a playoff berth.
UCSD next takes on San Francisco State in a crucial four-game series from April 16 through April 18.
