UCSD and San Francisco State University completed a four-game series on April 18 at Maloney Field in San Francisco with a 4-1 victory for the Gators. The teams split the series and remain tied in California Collegiate Athletic Association conference play with 17-15 records.
In the final game of the series, UCSD jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning as junior first baseman Brian Robinson singled up the middle before advancing to second base when the next batter, sophomore rightfielder Damian Fante, was hit by a pitch. Robinson came around to score on a single to center field by junior designated hitter Joel Clark, giving the Tritons the only run they would earn all day.
“Because both teams pitched so well, the series came down to timely hitting and execution,” UCSD head coach Dan O’Brien said. “We weren’t consistent in those areas and ended up splitting a series that I thought we could have swept. On the bright side, a series like that helps us prepare for the challenging postseason, if we earn that opportunity.”
The Gators put up one run in the bottom of both the fourth and fifth innings. San Francisco State scored two more runs in the bottom of the eighth to secure the victory over the Tritons.
UCSD’s Fante was the only player on either team with more than one hit, going 2-for-3 on the day.
Senior starting pitcher Rafael Bergstrom took the loss for the Tritons, despite allowing only two runs on three hits in five innings. He fell to 4-6 on the season. Junior pitcher Shlomo Lipetz closed out the game for UCSD, allowing only one hit in his one inning of work.
For the Gators, starter Chris Brown picked up the win and improved to 7-1 on the season after tossing seven full innings on the mound, in which he allowed only one run on three hits and one walk with three strikeouts.
Reliever Ben Clayton threw one and one-third innings of hitless relief before handing the ball to Gator closer Keith Albright in the ninth inning. Albright picked up his sixth save of the season for San Francisco State after striking out the final two Triton batters of the game.
The Tritons return to San Diego for a five-game homestand April 23 through April 28 in a four-game series against CCAA powerhouse Chico State, then a single matchup against Vanguard University. The series begins on April 23 at 2:30 p.m. at Triton Baseball Stadium.
The April 24 Chico State doubleheader is scheduled for noon, as is the series finale on April 25. UCSD takes the field against Vanguard at 3 p.m. on April 28 in the Triton home finale.
