BASEBALL ‘mdash; The No. 1 Tritons didn’t get a hit in the Division II College World Series until the opening game’s sixth inning, but surprisingly still had a pretty good shot at victory.
UCSD put the potential tying runs on base in the ninth inning but failed to bring them in, falling to No. 21 Dowling College 3-1 on May 24 in Cary, N.C.
UCSD advanced to their first Division II College World Series after winning the West Regional Tournament on May 17.
‘It’s a great feeling and our guys have been working for a long time to get this opportunity,’ head coach Dan O’Brien said.
But after the loss to Dowling, the Tritons must win their next game against West Chester University of Pennsylvania to avoid elimination from the tournament and have a shot at the national title, while the Golden Lions of Oakdale, N.Y. advance to play Lynn University of Florida.
As the higher seed, the Tritons took to the field against Dowling, playing behind sophomore starting pitcher Tim Shibuya. He pitched a scoreless first inning, giving up a hit and setting up the Tritons for their first look at the Golden Lions’ starting pitcher, sophomore Gabriel Duran.
Named the Division II Pitcher of the Year in addition to earning All-American honors, Duran compiled a 9-1 regular-season record and allowed a national best of 3.71 hits per nine innings. Adding to his impressive resume, the sophomore threw a no-hitter to start the season, striking out 14 batters.
Duran was dominant at the start, sending down UCSD’s first three batters of the game. Dowling’s hurler made one mistake in the second inning ‘mdash; hitting sophomore left fielder Evan Kehoe with one out ‘mdash; but escaped without giving up a run in the frame.
After pitching three scoreless innings, Shibuya ran into trouble in the fourth, surrendering three consecutive singles to load the bases. UCSD got the first out after Shibuya threw home for the force on a grounder to the mound. But another Dowling single gave the Golden Lions their first run, and they added another on a sacrifice fly to take a 2-0 lead. Still searching for their first hit, the Tritons had no luck in the next two frames as Duran kept the bases empty, preserving Dowling’s lead.
Leading off the bottom of the sixth inning, junior catcher Kellen Lee drew a walk to become UCSD’s second baserunner of the game. After two quick outs, senior third baseman Josh Tanner attempted a bunt for a base hit that landed in foul territory. With Lee holding a big lead at first, Duran tried to pick off UCSD’s catcher, but threw wide of the bag, allowing Lee to take second base.
Still at the plate, Tanner almost tied the game with a near home run to left field, but settled for a double ‘mdash; the Tritons’ first hit of the game ‘mdash; that brought Lee home. With two outs, senior second baseman Garrett Imeson drove a ball to right, but Dowling’s right fielder made a difficult diving catch to end the inning.
Shibuya and UCSD’s defense took care of business in the top
of the seventh, getting three quick outs to stay within one run of Dowling.
The Tritons put runners on the corners with one out in the bottom of the seventh, after Kehoe was hit by another pitch and junior outfielder Robert Sedin reached base on a wild throw to first. But senior designated hitter Matt Cantele popped out, and Lee flied out to end the inning.
The Dowling lineup broke its long silence in the eighth inning, leading off with a single. With a runner on second base and two outs, Shibuya intentionally walked sophomore Colin Barnathan, hoping to escape from the inning without giving up any runs. But Dowling took advantage of the opportunity, delivering an RBI single that made the score 3-1. Senior Ryland McFadyen relieved Shibuya and recorded the frame’s third out.
Once again needing two runs to tie the game, the Tritons came out flat in the bottom of the eighth, recording two easy outs. Tanner got his second hit of the game ‘mdash; remaining the only UCSD batter to hit safely in the contest ‘mdash; but Imeson grounded out to end the inning.
After McFadyen pitched a perfect top of the ninth, the Tritons sent their heart of the order up to plate with one final shot at victory. Kehoe lined a one-out single to right field and, after Sedin struck out, Cantele drew a walk to put the tying runs on base. With nobody warming up in the bullpen for Dowling, Duran stayed on the mound to face Lee. Falling behind 0-2 on swinging strikes, Lee held back on two balls to work the count even before flying out to center field.
The Tritons face West Chester in an elimination game today at noon. The Golden Rams are coming off a 7-3 loss in their opening game of the College World Series against Lynn, and also need a win to stay alive in the tournament. All College World Series games can be streamed live at www.moc.edu/athletics.
Readers can contact Janani Sridharan at [email protected].