SOFTBALL ‘mdash; Playing host to non-conference opponents last weekend, the Tritons split two-game sets against Grand Canyon University on Feb. 21 and University of Hawaii at Hilo on Feb. 22. Senior starter Lauren Chastain earned her third and fourth wins of the season in the Tritons’ two victories.
‘When [Chastain’s] on the mound she hits her spots,’ senior first baseman Jenni Habib said. ‘She’s going to lead to a lot of our success this year.’
Locked in a pitching duel, the Tritons and the Vulcans entered the seventh inning of the opening game of Sunday’s doubleheader tied at one. Junior catcher Nicole Saari then launched a walk-off double to center field that plated Habib, giving UCSD a 2-1 win.
The two teams found themselves in another 1-1 tie midway through the second doubleheader before Hawaii-Hilo scored three runs off extra-base hits, taking the victory.
Anchored by Chastain’s complete game, UCSD squeezed out a 5-4 win over Grand Canyon to begin Saturday’s doubleheader. Senior outfielder Allison May’s two-run single in the fifth scored the tying and go-ahead runs.
A disastrous top of the fourth inning sealed a 10-2 UCSD loss in the second game of the day against Grand Canyon ‘mdash; the only game of the weekend that was decided by more than two runs. With the game scoreless through the first three innings, the Antelopes scored seven runs in the fourth, burying the Tritons in the dust. The Tritons have a tough weekend ahead as they open up a four-game set with the defending national champions Humboldt State on Feb. 27 and Feb. 28 at home.
‘In practice we’re approaching [this series] as we would any other one,’ Habib said. ‘We’re working on fundamentals and are going to go out and stick with our game.’
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