SOFTBALL — Coming off of their most frustrating weekend
series of the 2008 season, a four-game sweep at the hands of
the Tritons rebounded with a hard-fought doubleheader split against Cal State
Dominguez Hills on April 18. The two games were the remainder of a
rain-shortened series earlier in the year when the Tritons took two games from
the visiting Toros. This time around, Dominguez Hills came out firing, taking
the opening game 6-4 before UCSD came back to win the nightcap 2-1.
The series split was somewhat disappointing for the Tritons,
who are starting to expect more out of their team, but even with the
opening-game loss, the Tritons maintained their composure to rebound in the
second game.
“We were pretty surprised that Dominguez even took the first
game,” freshman shortstop Sarah Woofter said. “Earlier in the year we won two
pretty easy games against them, but this time around they were really gunning
for us and hit the ball well all game.”
In game one, senior lefthander Melissa Ward was
uncharacteristically ineffective and did not make it out of the second inning
after giving up five early runs. The Triton bullpen bailed out Ward, as junior
Christine Zankich and senior Nicole Fullerton combined to give up only one run
over five plus innings.
UCSD’s offense finally came alive in the fifth inning when
sophomore catcher Nicole Saari, senior second-baseman Danielle Lukk and
freshman second-baseman Jennifer DeFazio strung together three straight hits to
pull within 5-1. Woofter then stepped in and crushed a three-run homerun to
bring UCSD within one run.
“We were still down by a few runs so everyone was hoping to
just string together a few hits,” Woofter said. “Especially going against [
the Dominguez pitcher was really slow, and we were all having trouble waiting
on her pitches. So right before I went up to the plate I was telling myself to
keep my weight back and hit the ball hard on the ground; luckily it ended up
going out.”
The 5-4 score after the fifth inning was as close as the
Tritons would get, and the Toros held on for a 6-4 win.
“Coach wasn’t mad at us, she was just upset that we didn’t
catch up to the pitcher sooner,” Woofter said. “She was really positive,
telling us that we could come out even after the second game and get our
momentum right back.”
The Tritons took Gerckens’ message to heart and in the first
inning of the second game played fundamental small ball to jump to an early
lead. Woofter coaxed a walk out of Toro pitcher Kristin Tanaka and was moved to
second on a sacrifice bunt by freshman outfielder Katrin Gabriel before junior
centerfielder Allison May roped an RBI double to give UCSD a 1-0 lead.
Again in the fifth inning, the Tritons were able to
manufacture a run in a way that would make any National League manager proud.
Freshman infielder Amanda Eliades opened the inning with a walk and was
sacrificed over to second by DeFazio. Lukk got her second hit of the game, a
single down the third-base line, to put runners at the corners and Eliades
scored from third on Woofter’s sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead.
An unearned run in the sixth was all that Dominguez Hills
could muster off of Triton junior starter Lauren Chastain, who threw a dominant
complete game in her best outing of the year. Chastain improved her record 10-4
with her seventh complete game of the season in UCSD’s eventual 2-1 win.
“That second game was definitely a must-win game and really
helped add some confidence to the team,” Gerckens said. “Now the biggest
struggle for us is having confidence; we are our own toughest opponent. We have
confidence in the team, but right now they have to do this on their own. Its up
to them, I believe in them, the coaching staff believes in them, but in the end
its about the players out on the field believing in themselves.”
The Tritons celebrated Senior Day on April 20, honoring
Ward, Lukk,
third-baseman Jenny Maze and outfielder Randelle Bundy. After a ceremony prior
to the first game, the seniors took control of the afternoon, and guided the
Tritons to 1-0 and 8-5 wins, two huge victories to regain the season’s shifted
momentum with only one California Collegiate Athletic Association series left
in the regular season.
In game one, Ward threw a complete-game shutout and Maze
provided what proved to be the game-winning run with her RBI triple in the
bottom of the sixth inning. Ward and Maze are strong athletes who have had
historic UCSD careers and the wins were just as much of a home sendoff for them
as it was for family and friends in
attendance.
The win was the 61st in Ward’s illlustrious Triton career,
making her UCSD’s all-time wins leader. Ward’s ninth shutout of the year pushed
her season record to 14-12 and further extended her own all-time complete game
record.
The Senior Day magic continued in game two when a two-run
blast from Maze ignited a four-run first inning and the Tritons cruised to an
8-5 win. Maze’s first-inning blast, which easily cleared the right field fence,
was the 33nd of her career.Lukk picked up three stolen bases to go along with
her two hits and an RBI.
the start on the mound and picked up three strikeouts in her solid three plus
innings. Bundy went 1-for-3 in the game with a smash double and a stolen base
of her own.
The southpaw Ward, a pitcher by trade, was given a Senior
Day present and was alowed to get a pinch-hit at-bat in the second inning, the
first plate appearance of her four-year career. Ward showed the poise of a
veteran slugger and in a two-strike count sliced an infield single to
thirdbase.
Next, the Tritons will take on
Francisco
their last regular season series of the year. With their record at 31-19 (14-14
CCAA), the final games will be crucial to allow UCSD to take momentum into the
conference championships on May 1.
