SOFTBALL — The UCSD softball team continued its hot start over the weekend, taking two of three from Cal State Monterey Bay in a series cut short by the rain.
The squads were initially scheduled to play doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday, but heavy rains in the Monterey area postponed the games until Sunday, when the teams played a tripleheader.
The Tritons won the first game 9-0 via the mercy rule, and took the last game by a score of 6-1. The Otters won the second game of the day 5-3.
In the first game, the Triton offense took advantage of four Monterey Bay errors, as UCSD scored seven unearned runs. CSUMB third baseman Brittany Romero had a nightmare game with three errors, including two in the third inning.
The Tritons scored four runs in the inning despite only getting one hit, a leadoff single by Caitlin Brown. UCSD added five more runs in the top of the fifth — with two RBI from Katrin Gabriel and one from Jennifer De Fazio. The Otters were unable to get anything across in the bottom half of the inning, and the game ended early.
Mya Romero, Gabriel and De Fazio each had two RBI. Camille Gaito (7-0) allowed four hits and struck out six batters to get the victory.
In the second game, UCSD struck first but was unable to hold onto the lead. De Fazio hit a leadoff single in the top of the second inning, and Sara Woofter moved her to third on a sacrifice bunt. Jennifer Manuel’s sacrifice fly gave UCSD the lead.
The Otters came back with five runs in the bottom half of the inning, led by Jacki Serna’s three-run home run off Tess Granath (4-2). UCSD put up two runs in the top of the seventh, but was unable to force extra innings. Gabriel stepped up to the plate with two out and two aboard, but popped out to third base to end the game.
In the last game of the day, Gaito again took the mound and pitched another solid game to get her second win. The junior allowed six hits and one run, while again going the distance to pick up the victory.
The win gives Gaito 37 in her career as a Triton, which ties her for fourth-most all-time.
Monterey Bay scored first, after an error by Gaito brought in a run in the second inning. But Romero hit a two-run double in the third inning to give the Tritons the lead. The Tritons then hit the Otters for four runs in the fourth inning, with RBI doubles from Romero and Esther Strom leading the way. Taylor Sepulveda also had a single that scored two runs.
Gaito was named CCAA Softball Pitcher of the Week and Romero was named CCAA Player of the Week for their efforts. Gaito pitched 12 innings, allowing 10 hits and one run while picking up two victories. Gaito’s ERA of 0.30 is the lowest in the conference.
Romero went 4-for-9 with three doubles and five RBI, and had a .500 on-base percentage in the three games.
Kris Lesovsky became UCSD’s all-time leader in walks in the final game of the series.
After the series, the Tritons are 11-2 overall and 6-1 in conference play.
The Tritons return to action on Wednesday with a doubleheader against University of San Diego. UCSD will then host Cal State San Bernardino with a doubleheader on Friday and Sunday, starting at 4 p.m. and noon, respectively.
Readers can contact Liam Rose at [email protected]
