“We did not perform as we would have liked to,” sophomore catcher Caitlin Brown said in an email interview. “Our offense was struggling, but at the end of the weekend, even though we did not come out of the tournament with the record we would have wanted, it was good motivation to show people the team we really are in our series against Sonoma.”
With just one regular season series remaining, the Tritons are one of two CCAA teams to have clinched a tournament berth. The tournament — held at Arnaiz Stadium in Stockton, Calif. — will feature the top four seeded teams.
“It’s great knowing that we clinched a berth to the tournament but we are all still looking to the next series to try and improve our standings,” Brown said. “We aren’t going to change a thing from what we’ve been doing the whole year. We are going to continue to practice hard and make improvements until the very end.”
GAME 1 3–0 UCSD
The Tritons went up by two runs in the top of the first inning, as sophomore Charly Swanberg doubled to left center to score leadoff hitter senior Kris Lesovsky and junior Kirsten Willmon.
Senior Camille Gaito kept the Seawolves scoreless for the remainder of the game. The All-American allowed five hits, two walks while recording five strikeouts.
GAME 2 1–0 Sonoma
Sonoma scored one run in the third inning to steal the win in the second game of the four-game series, when Seawolf third baseman doubled to right field to score Ancia Purdy.
Freshman pitcher Michelle Escamilla and junior Jennifer Manuel split time on the mound. The two were outdone by Sonoma pitcher Samantha Lipperd, who recorded her second no-hitter of the season on top of seven strikeouts.
GAME 3 1–0 UCSD
The third game of the series pitted the two CCAA aces —Gaito and Lipperd — against each other.
The game went into extra innings, as neither pitcher conceded a run until in the top of the eighth inning, Willmon singled to left field with two outs. Sophomore catcher Caitlin Brown struck a big single to center field. With Willmon on second and Brown on first, Swanberg came up big again for the Tritons, singling to bring home Willmon.
Gaito retired the next three batters in order to seal the win for the Tritons.
GAME 4 3–0 UCSD
Manuel recorded her first full game of the season, as she took her fourth season win in the last game of the series.
UCSD struck first, when in the second inning, sophomore Mya Romero tripled down the right field line to score Swanberg.
Manuel made quick work out of the next three batters in the bottom of the second.
Back at the top of the order in the third inning, Lesovsky singled to left field. With one out, Willmon had another big at bat, striking a triple to right center to score Lesovsky. She was brought home on the next at bat, as Brown bunted for an RBI.