SOFTBALL ‘mdash; UCSD dropped four out of five games last week, in its last homestand of the season. Now, the Tritons must hold on to fourth place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association to make the playoffs.
Having won eight of their last 11 games, the Tritons looked more than ready for their final five home games against University of San Diego on April 8, and doubleheaders against Cal State San Bernardino April 10 and 11.
UCSD got off to a rough start, with USD taking a 5-0 lead during the top of the first inning. Freshman starting pitcher Tess Granath gave up four hits and the Triton defense committed three errors in the first inning.
‘We definitely changed a lot of people around in the lineup,’ head coach Patti Gerckens said. ‘Our catcher [against USD] usually plays first base.’
After sophomore outfielder Kristyn Lesovsky hit an RBI single in the fifth, USD struck back with a three-run home run, taking an 8-1 lead.
Down by seven, the Tritons rallied in the seventh inning, but were only able to put four runs on the scoreboard, ultimately falling 8-5.
After the loss, UCSD set its sights on its final home series of the season, a four-game set with the Coyotes.
UCSD struck first, producing four runs on three hits, including senior pitcher Lauren Chastain’s first home run of the season ‘mdash; a three-run shot.
‘I think we were just seeing the ball really well,’ Habib said. ‘Obviously it showed in our hitting.’
The Coyotes responded with a three-run blast of their own in the second, making the score 4-3.
With UCSD up 6-3 in the fifth, the Coyotes scored twice, cutting the Triton lead to one. However, UCSD continued to hit the long ball, and Habib’s towering home run in the bottom of the fifth gave the Tritons a 7-5 lead.
Down by two, the Coyotes scored a run in the sixth, and threatened to take the lead with two runners on base. Granath came in from the bullpen to extinguish the fire, by striking out the next batter and inducing a groundout before pitching a flawless seventh.
‘It’s where I want to be all the time ‘mdash; the crisis situations are always the best,’ Granath said. ‘And when good things happen it’s even better.’
Unfortunately, UCSD came up short in the second game of the doubleheader. The Coyotes took a 4-0 lead through three-and-a-half innings before junior catcher Nicole Saari’s two-run single helped cut the deficit to one.
UCSD rallied in the seventh as senior outfielder Megan Grace smashed an RBI triple, making it 7-5. Sophomore catcher Nicole Monroe hustled to first base for an RBI single, but UCSD was unable to finish the rally.
‘We lost from poor defensive play,’ Gerckens said. ‘Our infield just didn’t get some routine ground balls, didn’t communicate on some pop flies, did not take the bunt away from them.’
During the first game of the Senior Day doubleheader on April 11, the UCSD lineup left nine runners on base. The offensive struggles peaked in the fifth inning, with the team down 5-1. The Tritons loaded the bases, but didn’t bring anyone home.
‘We all want to be in those situations and we all want to come out big for our team,’ assistant coach Bridget McKay said. ‘Sometimes the balls just don’t fall and you just don’t get the hits.’
The UCSD pitching gave up 11 hits in the 7-1 Coyote victory.
In the doubleheader’s back end, the Tritons mustered only three hits, failing to score and falling 2-0 to Cal State San Bernardino.
Chastain, who leads all Triton pitchers
in wins and strikeouts, kept UCSD in the game, allowing only two runs through seven innings. With the Coyotes up 1-0 in the sixth, Chastain stranded two runners with a critical strikeout to escape the inning.
‘I was hoping that we could use the momentum and take it into the seventh and score a couple of runs to win the game,’ Chastain said.
After the disappointing series, UCSD is now fourth in the CCAA and must hold on to that fourth spot to make the playoffs. UCSD’s next series is against second-place Cal State Dominguez Hills April 17 and 18.
Readers can contact John Beck at [email protected].