March 10
Cal State Dominguez Hills 4,
UC San Diego 3
A strikeout and a failed hit-and-run play killed a ninth-inning Triton rally as the Toros beat UCSD for just the second time in the teams’ last 11 meetings.
The Tritons trailed 4-1 to start the ninth inning, but a double by second baseman Blake Tagmyer and single by pinch hitter Nick Hom gave the Tritons runners second and third with no outs. Left-fielder Evan Kehoe then struck out, but pinch hitter Nick La Face punched an RBI single into left field to score Tagmyer. Third baseman Matt Hubbard produced another RBI single in the next at-bat to cut the Toros’ lead to 4-3 with runners on first and second. The Tritons called a hit-and-run with shortstop Garrett Tuck at the plate, but Tuck swung and missed and the runner was thrown out at third. Tuck then struck out to end the game.
Starter Tim Shibuya (5-1) took his first loss of the season, giving up four runs on 10 hits in seven innings.
MARch 11
Cal State Dominguez Hills 8,
UC San Diego 2
Dominguez shortstop Abel Medina went 3-for-4 with five RBI — including a three-run home run in the fifth inning — as the Toros downed the Tritons for the second straight day.
The game was tight early on, with each team scoring in the first inning and the Toros leading 3-2 going into the fifth inning. But Medina’s homer brought the score to 6-2, and the Tritons could only manage one hit after the fifth inning.
Starter Guido Knudson (3-2) gave up six runs on seven hits in six innings of work to take the loss.
MARch 12 (Game 1)
UC San Diego 10,
Cal State Dominguez Hills 8
The Tritons held on for the win in a wild game that saw the starting pitcher from both teams taken out before the fifth inning.
Matt Hubbard went 3-for-3 with two RBI; UCSD got RBI from six different players and the Tritons held on in a game that featured 23 hits. Triton starter Greg Selarz gave up six runs in just 3 2/3 innings, but Dominguez starter Sean Wardour wasn’t much better with five runs allowed in only three innings of work. Selarz was off the hook for the loss, however, with a huge six-run fourth inning from the Tritons.
Eric Abraham (1-0) pitched one inning of scoreless relief to pick up the win.
MARch 12 (Game 2)
UC San Diego 7,
Cal State Dominguez Hills 0
With the bottom of the Triton rotation struggling of late, manager Dan O’Brien decided to shake things up a bit. It paid off, with Jeff Rauh getting the win in his first start since 2009 as the Tritons blanked the Toros to earn a series split.
In only the second start of his career, Ruah (1-0) allowed seven hits and no runs while striking out seven in 5 2/3 innings. Reliever Elias Tuma went the rest of the way to complete the shutout for the Tritons.
Center-fielder Danny Susdorf went 2-for-3 with two runs and Evan Kehoe had a two-run triple to open up the Tritons’ four-run fifth inning.
MARch 24
UC San Diego 5,
Cal Poly Pomona 2
Tim Shibuya went the distance to pick up the win and become UCSD’s all-time innings leader.
Shibuya (6-1) matched his career high in strikeouts with 11 and allowed five hits while walking none. UCSD had 14 hits in the game, but left 10 runners stranded. Evan Kehoe went 4-for-4 with two RBI, and left-fielder Aaron Bauman went 3-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI. Second baseman Grant Bauer made his first appearance in 2011 after battling an injury through the early part of the season, and showed no signs of rust as he went 2-for-4 with a run.
Shibuya has now pitched 366 1/3 innings for UCSD, passing Jose Navarro’s previous record of 364 innings set from 2003 to 2006.
MARch 25
UC San Diego 2,
Cal Poly Pomona 1
The Tritons received a stellar performance from starter Guido Knudson, but needed a ninth-inning rally to secure the win.
Knudson allowed six hits over eight innings, although two came in the sixth to give the Broncos a run. But Pomona starter Erick Ruvalcaba was similarly brilliant, giving up just three hits in six scoreless innings.
In the bottom of the ninth, pinch hitter Nick Hom was twice hit by a pitch, but the home plate umpire judged that Hom did not do enough to get out of the way. Hom then doubled to left-center, and pinch hitter Scott Liske walked. Evan Kehoe moved both runners up 90 feet with a sacrifice, then pinch hitter Blake Tagmyer drove in the tying run with a single. Grant Bauer was intentionally walked to load the bases, and after a strikeout, Aaron Bauman came up with all bases loaded. Pomona pitcher Jake Reed threw a high fastball that nicked the top of the catcher’s mitt, and Liske came in for the winning run on a passed ball.
Elias Tuma (3-0) picked up the win with a hitless ninth inning.
MARch 26 (Game 1)
UC San Diego 8,
Cal Poly Pomona 7, 11 innings
Kyle Saul homered to right field in the top of the 11th inning to give the Tritons the go-ahead run, and UCSD held on for the win.
The Tritons had four home runs in the game, but once again struggled on the mound to keep the score tied 7-7 after the seventh inning. Catcher Kellen Lee had three RBI off two home runs, and Aaron Bauman added his second long ball of the year. Both teams had 17 hits in the game, although both left nine runners stranded as well. Triton starter Greg Selarz was roughed up for the second straight start, giving up five runs on 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings. But the Tritons were all over Pomona starter Ryan Dunn as well, forcing him out after four innings and five runs surrendered.
After all the fireworks early in the game, the bats went quiet after the seventh inning as neither team could get a run across. Saul’s solo shot to lead off the top of the 11th gave the Tritons the lead, and Elias Tuma (4-0) handled the Broncos in the bottom of the inning to seal the win.
MARch 26 (Game 2)
Cal Poly Pomona 5,
UC San Diego 1
Jeff Ruah’s second start of the year didn’t go nearly as well as the first, and the Triton offense was sluggish as the Broncos prevented the Tritons for a sweep.
Ruah (1-1) gave up five runs on seven hits in five innings, with a five-hit four-run fifth inning giving the Broncos a 5-0 lead. The Tritons pulled one back in the top of the sixth with an RBI double from Nick La Face, but UCSD could muster nothing more in the shortened seven-inning game.
The Tritons are now 20-8 overall and 13-7 in CCAA play. The team suffered eight losses last season as well. The Tritons have slipped to No. 10 in the latest national rankings.
The Tritons now face a four-game series this weekend against Cal State LA, with games on Thursday and Friday in Los Angeles and a doubleheader at home on Saturday, beginning at noon.
