SOFTBALL ‘mdash; The season has come to a close for UCSD’s softball team. The No. 7 seed Tritons were eliminated from the NCAA Division-II West Regional following a 4-3 loss to Hawaii Pacific University on May 9. The Tritons began the four-team double elimination tournament with a 2-1 loss against second-seeded Hawaii Pacific on May 8. UCSD bounced back, avoiding elimination with a 2-1 win over sixth-seeded Cal State Monterey Bay on May 9, before falling for the second time to the Sea Warriors.
In the tournament’s opening game, the Sea Warriors put pressure on UCSD, taking an early 1-0 lead in the first inning. Hawaii Pacific added another critical run in the third inning, pushing its lead to 2-0.
Trailing by two runs, the Tritons responded in the fifth inning, scoring a run and cutting Hawaii Pacific’s lead to one. With two outs and two on, senior first baseman Jenni Habib smacked an RBI single, driving sophomore outfielder Kristyn Lesovsky home. Junior catcher Nicole Saari then drew a walk to load the bases, but UCSD was unable to capitalize.
‘It was disappointing,’ Saari said. ‘We had more hits and more opportunities to score than them, but never got that breakout hit.’
Down 2-1, UCSD threatened to erase Hawaii Pacific’s lead in the top of the sixth inning. The Tritons put runners on the corners with only one out, following singles from junior shortstop Amanda Eliades and senior pitcher Lauren Chastain. Unfortunately for UCSD, the Sea Warriors struck out the next two Tritons, escaping the inning without any damage to their lead.
Freshman pitcher Camille Gaito kept the Tritons in the game with a solid performance, allowing only two runs on five hits in six innings. Gaito did not allow any hits in the final four innings she tossed, but was tagged with the loss due to a lack of run support.
UCSD outhit Hawaii Pacific seven to five ‘mdash; May led the Triton lineup with two hits ‘mdash; but struggled to drive in runs throughout the game. The Tritons left nine runners on base, while the Sea Warriors only stranded three.
‘We definitely had our chances,’ head coach Patti Gerckens said. ‘I thought Camille gave us a great effort, and we battled back in the last couple of innings. But we needed one more big hit, and we didn’t get it.’
With the loss to Hawaii Pacific, the Tritons faced an elimination game against California Collegiate Athletic Association rival and conference-champion Cal State Monterey Bay. Entering the NCAA Regionals, UCSD had played Cal State Monterey Bay in five of its last seven games, winning only two of the contests.
‘I just wanted to knock them out of the tournament,’ Saari said. ‘We have played them so much recently that we know them well and came up with a new game plan to get the win.’
UCSD put two runs on the scoreboard in the first, which ended up being enough offense to earn the win.
Lesovsky drew a lead-off walk ‘mdas
h; her first of four in the game ‘mdash; and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Eliades. With Lesovsky on second, Habib belted her third home run of the season, giving UCSD a 2-0 lead.
The Otters responded with a run on three hits in the second inning, cutting the UCSD lead to 2-1.
The game came to a dramatic finish in the bottom of the seventh. Cal State Monterey Bay twice attempted to tie the game, but the Tritons threw the Otters out at the plate on both tries, the second of which ended the game.
Gaito tossed a complete seven innings in the UCSD victory, improving her record to 12-4.
‘Well our backs were obviously against the wall, but we felt confident against a Monterey team that we’ve seen a lot of lately,’ Gerckens said. ‘Camille was tremendous again, and the defense really helped pick her up.’
After defeating the Otters, UCSD was set for a rematch with Hawaii Pacific, who was coming off a loss to Dixie State.
The Sea Warriors took an early 2-0 lead on a two-run homer in the top of the first inning. The Tritons came right back with two runs of their own in the bottom half. Saari drove in Eliades with an RBI single and sophomore infielder Sarah Woofter’s single scored Habib to tie the score.
After Eliades and Habib drew consecutive walks to lead off the third inning, May gave UCSD a 3-2 lead with a two-out RBI single.
The Tritons maintained the one-run advantage until the sixth inning, when Hawaii Pacific blasted a two-run home run to take the lead.
The Sea Warriors retired the final six Triton batters in order, sealing Hawaii Pacific’s 4-3 victory, and ending UCSD’s season. UCSD finished the 2009 campaign with a 30-25 record.
‘I thought we played extremely well, and we battled the whole game,’ Gerckens said. ‘They got a hold of two pitches, and that was the difference.’
Readers can contact John Beck at [email protected].