On Tuesday, Feb. 24, UC San Diego baseball (4-6, 0-0 Big West) faced off against crosstown rival San Diego (7-4, 0-0 WCC), beating the Toreros in 10 innings in a stunning 8-7 comeback victory at Triton Ballpark.
“[We showcased] our ability to keep going and not give up,” junior first baseman Gabe Camacho said in a postgame interview with The UCSD Guardian. “It’s a good win for us; [we] showed what we showed on Sunday against UCLA. We’re gritty.”
The Tritons entered the game coming off of losses to BYU and Western Michigan, starting off the season 2-4 — one game worse than last year’s start. The Tritons looked to set the tone early with graduate student pitcher Jake Villar on the mound. He struck out the first batter on a dropped third strike, but the Toreros battled back with a single, double, and RBI single to take a 1-0 lead heading into the bottom of the first.
In the top of the third, USD dealt more damage. The Toreros went up 5-0 after a four-run, five-hit inning where the Tritons gave up two home runs. But just like in their matchup against Creighton where they came back from a four-run deficit, the Tritons didn’t waver.
In the bottom of the third, Camacho, who went 2-4 and had three RBIs in the game, hit his fourth home run of the season. Junior center fielder Michael Crossland, who was voted to the Big West Preseason Coaches’ Team, followed Camacho’s homer with a double to left center and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Another Big West Preseason Coaches’ Team member, senior designated hitter J.C. Allen, joined the barrage with a single up the middle to score Crossland. With two runners on base, USD’s shortstop committed a throwing error, scoring Allen. On the next at-bat, however, graduate student right fielder Nick Costello grounded a ball to USD’s first baseman, leading to an inning-ending double play. The Toreros led 5-3 after three.
After a scoreless fourth inning for the Toreros, the Tritons looked to take a lead. With two runners on base, Camacho lined the ball down the right-field line, scoring both runners and tying the game 5-5 on his way to second base. The Tritons managed to load the bases before sophomore catcher Trevian Martinez popped up to shallow center field to end the inning.
Following two scoreless innings, the first two Torero batters got on base in the seventh. A sacrifice bunt pushed both runners into scoring position, which USD took advantage of and added a run. The Tritons, unfortunately, couldn’t match the Toreros’ run, and UCSD went into the eighth down 6-5.
In the top of the new inning, the Tritons found themselves in a tough situation, yet again. With one out and a runner in scoring position, a single up the middle brought in another run for USD, pushing its lead back to two. Down and with a few innings remaining, UCSD had to respond quickly. The Tritons loaded the bases for junior pinch hitter Bryan Bradshaw, who walked and brought in a run for UCSD. The team went into the ninth inning down one.
Another three up, three down inning for USD meant UCSD just needed two runs to win. With two on base, Allen hit a single to left field to once again load the bases for the Tritons and put them in a position to tie or take the lead. Senior left fielder Alex Leopard was hit by a pitch, bringing in the tying run and kept the bases loaded with only one out. But a strikeout and a phenomenal catch in foul territory by USD’s left fielder sent the game to extras.
In the top of the tenth, USD’s offense scored no runs, giving UCSD the chance to walk it off. The Tritons lead the Big West in walks drawn and displayed their discipline at the plate in the bottom half of the inning. The Torero pitcher walked three batters, pushing UCSD’s total walks in the game to 12, to load the bases for the third straight inning. Finally, with the game on the line, USD’s pitcher threw a ball into the dirt that got past the catcher, allowing UCSD to claim an 8-7 win on a walk-off wild pitch after five grueling hours.
UCSD traveled to Louisiana to kick off a seven-game road trip on Friday, defeating the Raging Cajuns 7-3. The Tritons dropped Saturday and Sunday’s rematches against Louisiana with scores of 8-0 and 4-3, respectively. UCSD will head to Cincinnati to face the Bearcats for a four-game slate that begins on Thursday.
