The UCSD softball team will take a win no matter how it comes. Offensive onslaught, so be it. Extra innings, fine. With only eight games left on the regular season schedule and playoff positioning up for grabs, every victory is vital.
Junior pitcher Melissa Ward brought heat on April 11 and April 14 to pick up four straight wins against Cal State San Bernardino and Cal State Dominguez Hills, respectively. With the wins the Tritons improve to 28-22 overall on their season and 19-11 in CCAA play.
After a disappointing series against No. 3 Humboldt State, the Tritons – who are 28-22, 19-11 in California Collegiate Athletic Association play – rebounded by edging Cal State San Bernardino 4-3 and 3-0 on April 11. They then dismissed Cal State Dominguez Hills 8-2 and 7-6 on April 14, with all games played at Triton Softball Stadium.
“”We’re just taking each game at a time,”” junior southpaw Melissa Ward said. “”[Each game] becomes important at this point in the season. By now we’ve seen every team and we’re trying to correct any mistakes in any prior loss.””
Behind Ward’s strong arm, the Triton bats came to life, providing plenty of run support for their ace all week. Ward notched four victories to bring her to 22 on the season, second-best in UCSD softball history.
Freshman shortstop Amanda Eliades drove in two RBIs against the Toros on April 14 to give her 12 RBIs on the season. Eliades also holds the third-highest batting average on her team.
Despite pitching both games of each series, opposing teams still haven’t solved Ward’s style.
“”Melissa has developed into a very good pitcher because she can now throw an entirely different game in that second game,”” head coach Patti Gerckens said.
Ward pitched a masterpiece in game one against Cal State Dominguez Hills, but with the teams deadlocked 2-2 going into the bottom of the sixth inning, UCSD needed a spark. That spark came in the form of three walks and a controversial call.
After senior outfielder Brittni Carino knocked in two runs with a hit up the middle, junior second baseman Danielle Lukk was struck by a line drive off freshman shortstop Amanda Eliades’ bat. A run scored on the play, but Lukk was called out for interference.
By rule, any runner struck by the ball is considered out and the play is immediately called dead. But there was something different about this play, and Gerckens made sure the umpire recognized it.
“”If the ball has passed the infielder, then the runner is OK,”” Gerckens said. “”I asked the umpire about it and he reversed his call.””
Lukk remained called out, but the runner who had scored returned to third base and the run was erased from the scoreboard. Her stay at third base was short, as one pitch later, the bases were cleared by junior third baseman Jenny Maze, with her 11th home run of the season. The six-run sixth inning made the score 8-2 and secured game one.
Down 0-2 early in game two of the doubleheader, the Tritons got things started in the bottom of the third with four runs. Sophomore outfielder Allison May scored on a single by Lukk, who then scored on freshman catcher Nicole Saari’s single that skidded under the Toro shortstop’s glove. Carino and Saari would also cross the plate to conclude the inning.
“”I think today we’ve [strung hits together] better then we have done it all season,”” Gerckens said. “”We’re getting better, but we should still have scored a lot more runs.””
Cal State Dominguez Hills answered with two runs in the top of the fourth inning, and took the lead 5-4 with a home run in the fifth.
Sophomore outfielder Megan Grace, who entered the game as a pinch runner, tied the game in the bottom of the sixth with a double up the middle.
Extra innings were in order, something the Tritons have become accustomed to this season.
“”I tell the girls to score early, but I think that’s the fourth time going into extra innings this season,”” Gerckens said. “”I guess they like the excitement.””
The Toros took momentum in the eighth inning with a run in the top half to take the lead 6-5. UCSD closed out the inning defensively and went to work with the bats.
Senior catcher Nikki Palmer and May both singled for the Tritons in the bottom half of the inning but things looked ominous with two outs.
Lukk dug in the batter box with runners on second and third. Handling the pressure without a sweat, Lukk blasted the game-winning single up the middle to score both runners and bring home a 7-6 extra-inning thriller.
“”I was running to beat [the ball] out, because I didn’t know if the second baseman was going to get it,”” she said. “”But when I saw that second run score I was about as excited as I could be.””
The Cal State San Bernardino series was no slouch. UCSD survived three errors in game one with a three-run fourth inning, highlighted by RBI singles by Saari and Eliades. Ward shut down the Coyotes in game two, throwing a complete game shutout and getting support from Eliades, who tallied all three RBIs.
The Tritons are back in action April 17 against Cal State Bakersfield for a doubleheader at the Triton Softball Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
