The UCSD softball team extended its winning streak to six games by defeating Cal State Dominguez Hills in a doubleheader on April 18. The games, which took place on Senior Day, were originally scheduled for April 17, but were postponed due to rain.
Freshman starter Tina Rowe barely needed any late-inning offensive support, as she received several early runs in the game, which ended in a 9-3 Triton victory. Rowe hurled a complete game, giving up three earned runs and raising her record to 10-5 on the year.
Senior first baseman Jodie Bland got the five-run first inning going with a two-RBI double. The next batter, freshman designated player Melanie Meurer, added three more with a jack to right field, her fourth home run of the season, furthering the Tritons’ lead in homeruns in the California Collegiate Athletic Association.
Meurer came up big again in the fifth, with a two-RBI double, bringing her RBI season total to five, while going 2-for-3 on the day. Senior second baseman Kim Aggabao, who entered the day leading the CCAA in hitting, added another home run for UCSD, this time a two-run blast, her third of the year. Overall, Aggabao went 2-for-3, scoring three times while knocking in two runs. Junior catcher Jamie Hurst scored twice, while Bland added an additional run for the Tritons.
The seniors continued to shine in the second game of the afternoon, as UCSD jumped to a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning and held that score for the rest of the game. Bland turned in a complete-game shutout, giving up only four hits and improving her record to 13-10 on the season.
Fellow senior Aggabao added the big bang for the Tritons, blasting her fourth home run of the season, second of the day and third in three days. Sophomore shortstop Desiree Franciscus was on base for Aggabao’s bomb, scoring UCSD’s second run. The only other Tritons to get hits were Bland and sophomore centerfielder Jenny Spencer.
April 23 through April 25, UCSD will compete in the Cal State Bakersfield Mountain Dew Classic, where the team’s playoff hopes lie in the balance.
