UC San Diego softball (8-24, 6-9 Big West) hosted the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (22-17, 11-4 Big West) at Triton Softball Stadium for a doubleheader on Friday, April 4. Entering the game, the Tritons hadn’t scored in two consecutive outings, while the Gauchos scored 17 total runs over their last three — winning all three.
In game one, both starting pitchers went the distance and surrendered just one run combined. Senior right-hander India Caldwell pitched a gem, but one Gaucho run in the fourth inning made the difference.
Caldwell set the tone early with a 1-2-3 first inning, punctuated by an inning-ending strikeout. Despite the loss, Caldwell surrendered just a handful of hits, pitched out of jams, and had excellent command. Unfortunately, Caldwell had little support from her offense, which struggled to get on base.
The Gauchos threatened to score in the second inning, loading the bases. However, the Triton defense rose to the occasion, and sophomore second baseman Elise Nishimura made a two-out diving stop to save two runs. She snared a hard-hit groundball, quickly jumped to her feet, and fired to first to end the inning.
The Tritons’ best chance to score came in the bottom of the second. After a one-out single by freshman third baseman Alexis Jimenez, UCSD nearly plated the game’s first run when sophomore first baseman Zara Wasserman crushed a line drive off the left field wall, missing a home run by just a few feet. The next hitter, freshman outfielder Emma Umemura, reached base, per the NCAA’s “uncaught third strike” rule, and loaded the bases with just one out. However, after an unproductive second out, the Tritons stranded three runners when senior outfielder Morgan Eng grounded out to third base to end the inning.
The Tritons also put runners on in the third and sixth innings, including a leadoff baserunner on an errant throw in the sixth, but could not capitalize in either inning.
The game’s only run came in the top of the fourth. UCSB’s leadoff hitter ripped a double down the right field line, but Caldwell retired the next two hitters. With two outs, the Gauchos blooped a single into shallow right field, plating the runner from second who narrowly edged the throw home. UCSB took a 1-0 lead, and that was all the Gauchos needed.
With both pitchers dealing, the final innings passed by without scoring threats. In the top of the seventh, Caldwell induced a double play. The Gauchos hit a liner to Nishimura who caught the ball and fired it back to first to double off the runner. Caldwell finished the inning unscathed, completing a 130-pitch outing with 10 strikeouts and one earned run.
Caldwell’s dominance on the bump would not be enough for the Tritons, who failed to score in the seventh. After two quick outs, sophomore second baseman Jackie Tremper hit a hard line drive to the shortstop, who caught the ball and ended the game.
Both teams took a quick intermission, relaced their cleats, and took to the field for game two.
After three consecutive scoreless games, the Tritons took an early 1-0 lead in the second inning. The lead would last only two innings, though, as the Gauchos plated four runs in the fourth and never looked back, winning the game 7-2.
Friday’s doubleheader was a tale of two seasons. For the Gauchos, the victories extended their win streak to five games, as they look to maintain their No. 1 spot in the Big West. For the Tritons, who dropped their third and fourth games in a row, the loss underscored a pressing need for run support.
On Saturday, April 5, the Triton offense delivered that run support, scoring three runs in the sixth inning and a fourth run in the seventh to beat the Gauchos 4-3 on a walk-off single.
The Tritons return to action on Friday, April 11, to take on the UC Davis Aggies (12-26, 6-9 Big West) on the road. UCSD returns to Triton Softball Field on Friday, April 25, to host Cal State Northridge (17-18, 10-4 Big West) in the final home stand of the season.
