SOFTBALL ‘mdash; The regular season may be over, but the Tritons know there are still important games left to play. After splitting a four-game series with Cal State Monterey Bay April 24 and 25, the Tritons clinched the No. 3 seed for the 2009 California Collegiate Athletic Association Championship Tournament. The Tritons (27-22,17-14 CCAA) will face No. 2 seed Cal State Monterey Bay (34-25-1, 20-12 CCAA) again tonight at Arnaiz Field in Stockton, Calif., at 7 p.m.
UCSD marched into Monterey Bay looking to secure a berth in the championship tournament, but failed to do so in the first game of the series, losing a tight game to the Otters 4-3.
The Tritons took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning of the opening game. Sophomore outfielder Kristyn Lesovsky led off the game with a double, scoring later in the inning on an error. The game was tied at one after three innings before UCSD regained its one-run lead in the fourth. Senior first baseman Jenni Habib smacked a double and came around to score, taking advantage of another Otter error. Cal State Monterey Bay responded by scoring three runs in the third, putting the Tritons in a 4-2 hole.
UCSD grabbed one more run in the sixth when senior outfielder Allison May slapped a single and advanced to second base on a passed ball. May was finally driven home with an RBI double by sophomore infielder Jennifer DeFazio. That was the last run of the game, but the Tritons were unable to plate the tying run, falling behind Cal State Monterey Bay 4-3.
The Otters continued to outplay UCSD, taking the second game of the doubleheader 5-0. The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth inning, when Cal State Monterey Bay scored three runs on three hits and one UCSD error. The Otters added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth, capping off the shutout. The Tritons, who tallied six hits in the contest, had opportunities to score but failed to capitalize with runners on base. UCSD loaded the bases in the fourth inning but failed to score any runs. Sophomore outfielder Katrin Gabriel and junior catcher Nicole Saari each had two hits in the loss while the Tritons stranded a total of 12 runners.
UCSD freshman pitcher Camile Gaito was tagged with her second loss of the season. Gaito pitched six innings, giving up eight hits and two walks.
After dropping two straight games, the Tritons fell from fourth place, heading into the last day of the regular season without a playoff spot. Needing to win its last two games to play in the postseason, UCSD responded to the pressure. Taking the final pair of contests against the Otters, the Tritons clinched the No. 3 seed in the CCAA Championship Tournament. UCSD dominated the first game 10-4 and took the second game 4-1.
The Triton lineup jumped on the Otter starting pitcher early, scoring five runs in the first two innings. Saari drove in Lesovsky with an RBI single to left field in the first to open up the scoring. UCSD continued adding to its lead in the second inning. Habib stroked a two-run double to right field, giving the Tritons a 5-0 advantage. Habib finished the game with three hits and five RBIs.
The Otters answered back in the fifth inning, scoring three runs to reduce the Triton lead to 5-3. UCSD went on to extend the lead in the seventh inning. May led off with a homer ‘mdash; her first of the season. The Tritons added four more runs in the final inning, giving them a commanding 10-3 lead over
Cal State Monterey Bay.
UCSD held the Otter lineup at bay in the second game of the series, winning 4-1. Gaito won her ninth game of the season, giving up only three hits while tossing a complete game.
The first run came during the second inning on a RBI bunt single from sophomore catcher Nicole Monroe. Later in the inning, Lesovsky gave UCSD a 4-0 cushion with an RBI single. Lesovsky finished the regular season with 32 RBIs, tied with Habib for the team lead.
The Tritons will face Cal State Monterey Bay one more time during the CCAA Championship Tournament. The Tritons have overpowered Cal State Monterey Bay in three out of five games this season.
‘We are gearing up for this tourney and want to end our season with a win,’ Monroe said. ‘I know we can do it; the past two games we played against Monterey are proof that when we have our A game, we are unstoppable.’
Readers can contact John Beck at [email protected].