After traveling to Chico State only to have both of its games rained out, the UCSD softball team headed to face Cal State Stanislaus in search of better weather and a chance to increase its four-game winning streak.
However, the Tritons were unable to continue their run, dropping two games to the Warriors in Turlock, Calif., on March 4. UCSD was shut out in a close 1-0 game in the first contest before suffering an 8-3 loss in the second.
Game one swiftly turned into a pitchers’ duel with only one run on nine hits for the two teams combined.
Sophomore ace Melissa Ward went head to head against Cal State Stanislaus pitcher Jessica Gaumnitz, who racked up five strikeouts to Ward’s three, with Gaumnitz emerging as the victor.
The only run was a solo homer in the second off of Ward. She dropped to 8-3 on the season after her 10th complete game in 11 starts.
Though the Tritons have already accumulated 13 home runs this season, only five less than their season total in 2005, their offense could not produce hits against Gaumnitz. Sophomore Elizabeth Vasquez and seniors Desiree Franciscus and Niki Anderson accounted for the three UCSD hits in the game.
Fueled by the lack of offensive action in game one, the Tritons started the second game swinging. The UCSD offense started strong, scoring twice in the first inning. In the bottom of the first, UCSD gave one run back before Stanislaus tied the score at two apiece in the second. The Warriors went on to score three in the fifth and three more in the sixth to bring the game out of reach.
Senior Jenny Spencer went 2-for-4 with two RBIs in the loss, while Vasquez contributed two hits.
Sophomore pitcher Nicole Fullerton was charged with the 8-3 loss and fell to 4-3 on the year. Fullerton allowed five runs on six hits in 4.2 innings on the mound.
Ward came in to relieve Fullerton in the fourth inning, but was unable to stop the Warriors, who are predicted to finish fourth in the league this season.
Prior to their March 4 doubleheader against Stanislaus, the Tritons led the all-time series 22-14. UCSD won the only other meeting against Stanislaus this season, beating the Warriors 9-6 in the final game of the Best of the West Softball Classic in February. So far this season, the Warriors are 14-8 and 3-3 in league play.
Following this weekend’s losses, the Tritons fall to 11-8 overall and 4-2 in California Collegiate Athletic Association play. The team, picked to finish sixth in the CCAA for 2006 in a preseason vote by the league’s head coaches, had been on a four-game winning streak after sweeping consecutive doubleheaders against No. 9 San Francisco State and Sonoma State last week.
The two games against Chico State were called off due to inclement weather and will be rescheduled, but the make-up date is yet to be announced.
UCSD is back in action this week with a doubleheader at Cal State San Bernardino on March 8 and then returns home with another doubleheader against Cal State Monterey Bay on March 11.
