In an outstanding showing, UC San Diego softball (4-1, 0-0 Big West) got the better of the Saint Louis Billikens (2-3, 0-0 Atlantic 10) 11-3 in the first of their two meetings at the La Jolla Invitational. After opening the competition with two big wins, the Tritons’ continued their winning ways in their third game following a back-and-forth start.
The top of the first inning saw the Billikens take an early 1-0 lead with a home run to center field. The Tritons fared no better in the bottom of the first, with only one batter reaching first base.
However, UCSD responded with a strong second inning. After preventing any runs in the top of the second, the Tritons scored three runs of their own in the bottom frame. Sophomore shortstop Marley Espiau hit a ball into center field that allowed sophomore outfielder Samantha Womack to get the Tritons’ first run of the game. The next batter, senior outfielder Haley Garcia, hit a ball to left field that scored junior third baseman Jackie Tremper and Espiau, tacking on two more runs.
The Tritons went into the third inning leading 3-1, but a long and unfortunate inning brought Saint Louis back into the game. With two bases occupied, Saint Louis hit a sacrifice fly to right field that plated two runs. At the end of the third inning, the teams were level at 3-3.
In the third inning, the Tritons brought in freshman pitcher Callie Howard. The top of the fourth inning saw Howard get off to a great start, allowing only one runner to make it to first base before getting three outs.
At the top of the fifth inning, a double play followed by a strikeout took the Tritons into the bottom with momentum on their side. Following a bobble by Saint Louis’ catcher, junior second baseman Elise Nishimura crossed home plate to increase the Tritons’ lead to 5-3. Espiau then sent the ball out of the park to score Womack, Tremper, and herself, and give the Tritons a five-run advantage going into the sixth inning.
“I think that [the fifth inning] was just a matter of time,” head coach Nikki Palmer said to The UCSD Guardian in a postgame interview. “We’ve been putting in the work offensively and defensively, and so, to be able to come up and push a bunch of runs in that moment, you know, it’s just kind of what we’ve been working for.”
A scoreless top of the sixth allowed the Tritons to increase their lead. A hit to center field by Nishimura enabled junior pinch runner Gabrielle Flores to score and extend the Tritons’ lead to six. To close out the game, Womack hit a double to left field that gave the Tritons their final two runs, bringing the final score to 11-3.
“This team is very athletic, and this team is very fit, and that’s because of all the hard work that we put in,” Espiau said to The Guardian. “I just think that we’re able to rise when the occasion presents itself, and I think that’s what we did today.”
The Tritons will look to continue rising to the occasion when they take on Utah Tech on Thursday, Feb. 12, at Triton Softball Stadium.
