UC San Diego Softball (1–3, 0–0 Big West) was crushed in their season-opening doubleheader versus Idaho State (5–0, 0–0 Big Sky) on Friday, losing 5–0 and 11–2. Both games were grueling for the Tritons, who lacked the offense needed to compete with the Bengals. UCSD’s pitching also struggled in both affairs, especially in the latter game. Though the season has only just begun, opening the season 0–2 is not what the Tritons would have hoped for in their opening weekend tournament.
The first game started off tight as neither team could score in the first two innings. The top of the third was where things went south for the Tritons. Idaho State came out of the gates strong; with a couple of hits and a stolen base, they ended up with runners on second and third. On the ensuing at-bat, the player blasted the ball over the fence to hit a three-run home run for Idaho State. The Bengals would then commit three straight outs, but they successfully seized their early momentum and took an insurmountable lead to UCSD.
The Tritons failed to respond in the next three innings, and Idaho State was able to extend their lead to 5–0 in the top of the sixth. The Tritons had the chance to respond in the sixth and seventh innings, but couldn’t get anything going offensively. Ultimately losing the first game 5–0, the Tritons needed to respond in the second game.
The second game started on a much stronger note for the Tritons, scoring the first run of the game in the first inning. Junior outfielder Morgan Eng led the game with a single and stole second base on the first pitch to the next batter. After a fielder’s choice groundout to the right side of the field, Eng would end up on third base with only one out in the inning. Senior right fielder Deena Pederson then hit a fly ball to center field, allowing Eng to “tag up” from third and score the Tritons’ first run. While it was UCSD’s only run of the inning, the early 1–0 lead laid a solid foundation for the rest of the game.
The top of the second saw Idaho State responding immediately. With two outs recorded in the inning, the Idaho State hitter smacked a double to the outfield. This set up the next hitter to tap a single to left center field and allowed a runner to score, tying the game 1–1. After the game-tying run, junior starting pitcher India Caldwell struck out the last batter to send it to the bottom of the second inning.
The Tritons started their half-inning perfectly with a single to left field from sophomore infielder Hailey Mulligan. Mulligan was able to get to second base after an errant pitch from the pitcher and then to third base from a ground out to the right side of the field. Similar to their first inning, the Tritons had a runner on third with only one out. This time, however, the Bengals’ pitcher made a wild pitch, allowing Mulligan to steal home and push the Tritons to a 2-1 lead. This would be the last good news for the Tritons for the remainder of this game.
The top of the third saw Idaho State hit a solo home run to tie the game at 2. Idaho State did not look back, scoring nine runs in the next two innings from multiple errors and home runs to take an 11–2 lead. The Tritons were unable to reply in the bottom of the 5th inning, and the game would end via the run-ahead rule, 11–2.
The Idaho State doubleheader proved to be a tough two-game series for the Tritons on opening day. The Tritons fared better in their second doubleheader on Saturday, splitting the series with Fairleigh Dickinson. They continue their 2024 season next week in the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge before returning home to play the Dayton Flyers on Feb. 23.
