The stars aligned for the UCSD baseball team this weekend, as the Tritons leaped over four league rivals, moving to third place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. The victory put the Tritons in a position to earn a playoff spot as the team enters its last series of the season with a four-game homestand against Cal State Monterey Bay May 5 to 7.
The Tritons swept San Francisco State May 5 to 7, lifting them into third place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association and giving them a chance at the postseason.
A couple of losses by the Chico State Wildcats helped UCSD’s cause, but what is most responsible for the Tritons’ improved postseason chances was a four-game sweep of San Francisco State University on the road April 28 to 30. UCSD arrived in the beautiful City by the Bay with its playoff hopes in jeopardy.
San Francisco State, however, had no chance at the postseason, instead hoping to play the role of spoilers in the series. The Gators were not stuck in ninth place in the CCAA by chance, and they could not do anything to stop the Tritons from rolling as they were clearly outmatched by the talented Tritons.
According to head coach Dan O’Brien, the improvement came after the team acknowledged its weaknesses.
“We spent some time re-evaluating our goals and emphasized some important areas that we wanted to improve from the last two weeks of the season,” he said. “And I feel like we accomplished some of those goals this weekend — that’s why we got four wins.”
UCSD arrived in San Francisco coming off an embarrassing 13-7 loss to nonconference opponent Grand Canyon University. However, the Tritons looked like a different team against the Gators, racking up 38 runs in the series while holding San Francisco State to only 21. The Triton offense was on fire from the start, as it scored 11 runs in the first three innings of the series opener.
O’Brien attributed the Tritons’ hot hitting to his coaches and his players.
“I think it’s a combination of working very hard on our offense in the fall and the spring and having an outstanding coaching staff that works with the hitters — specifically Chad Addison, who’s our hitting instructor,” he said. “It’s a combination of that, and the fact that we have more talent this year than we’ve had in terms of guys with the ability to drive the ball out of the ballpark.”
Freshman first baseman Matt Cantele was one of many Tritons with multihit games, but his 4-for-6, three run, four-RBI performance was the most impressive of the day. Two of Cantele’s RBIs came on his 10th homer of the year, a legendary shot, as it is the first time in team history that three players have racked up 10 dingers or more. Junior catcher David Morehead and designated hitter Scott Clement have been the other power hitters for the Tritons this season, with 12 and 14 long balls, respectively.
“I’m really honored to be with those guys because those guys are such good hitters,” Cantele said. “It’s nice to come in and make an impact this year and get an opportunity to play. And to even be in the same category as players like Morehead and Clement is an honor.”
Despite the early runs, the Gators kept up in the game with six runs in two innings off UCSD starting pitcher Jose Navarro. However, junior T.C. Geach came in to relieve Gimenez, and pitched 5 2/3 innings to pick up the win. He allowed six hits and two runs, none earned, in his outing and paved the way for senior Byron Grubman to pick up his second save of the year.
The second day of the road trip pitted the Tritons and the Gators in a doubleheader, with UCSD winning both games by scores of 9-7 and 5-3. In the first game, UCSD put up five runs in the eighth inning to extend its lead to 9-2 on freshman second baseman Garret Imeson’s three-run homer. That hit proved to be crucial, as the Gators would go on to score five runs in the bottom half of the inning, four of which were unearned, off senior Ryan Leake. However, UCSD held on to the 9-7 win as Grubman came in to preserve the lead and earn his second save in as many days — but it was not easy. The first two Gator batters reached base, but a foul out and a 5-4-3 double play got the Tritons out of the jam and into the dugout with a win.
Following the offensive battles of the first two games, it was surprising to see freshman pitcher Trevor Decker control the Gator offense, as he pitched a complete game, allowing only six hits and three runs. Decker got run support from a three-run fifth inning, with the scores coming on senior outfielder Damian Fante’s triple and senior outfielder David Gomez’s single.
Prior to the series, many of the Tritons said they would need to win three out of four games against the Gators to have a chance at the playoffs. With the three wins already out of the way, the Tritons came into the series finale on April 30 and got the icing on the cake with an 11-2 win for UCSD’s first sweep of the season. Grubman switched from his role as closer to start game four, and earned the win with his six strong innings. The win, the 23rd of Grubman’s career, tied the UCSD record for career wins.
Morehead and Clement homered in the game, bringing UCSD’s total for long balls this season to 53, one short of the record of 54 set in 1987. More important than records, however, is UCSD’s much improved overall standing, now at 30-22 overall and 19-13 in the league. Despite standing in third place following the series, the Tritons are far from assured a playoff spot. No team in the CCAA has clinched, with eight teams still alive for four berths.
The Tritons will have their first chance to clinch at the start of their final series, against Cal State Monterey Bay at home on May 5.
Though it is a week away, one player has his goals set going into the pivotal series.
“I think our expectations are really high for the team,” Cantele said. “We expect to win the series and we expect to make the playoffs and do well and go far. That’s the team’s objective and that’s the way its been looking all season.”
