In another Big West series this weekend following the Tritons’ impressive performance in a previous series against Cal Poly, UC San Diego softball (18-25, 7-14 Big West) hosted Hawai’i (22-18, 14-16 Big West) for a three-game series on Friday and Saturday. The Tritons struggled at bat, scoring a total of seven runs compared to Hawai’i’s 14, allowing the Rainbow Wahine to sweep the series.
Friday: 3-2 loss
UCSD opened the series against Hawai’i with a close loss on Friday.
The Tritons had opportunities as early as the first — when junior first baseman Zara Wasserman’s double allowed sophomore designated player Maalia Cherry to advance to third — but failed to capitalize on them. Both teams remained scoreless through the first and second, with freshman pitcher Callie Howard only allowing one hit.
The Rainbow Wahine struck first in the top of the third with a run off an RBI single, but the Tritons were quick to respond. Wasserman doubled to right-center field, allowing sophomore second baseman Marley Espiau to reach from first base and even the score at 1-1.
Hawai’i scored twice more; a lead-off double and a sacrifice bunt set up an RBI single in the fourth and an RBI triple in the fifth, bringing the score to 3-1.
Cherry opened the bottom of the sixth with a rocket of a solo homer deep to left field, cutting the Rainbow Wahine’s lead to 3-2 and setting up a tight final inning.
The Tritons rallied at the bottom of the seventh to threaten Hawai’i’s lead. A pitch hit freshman utility player Gianna Ioja; the Rainbow Wahine unsuccessfully challenged the play, and Ioja advanced to first. A single from sophomore outfielder Samantha Womack and a Hawai’i fielding error allowed runners to proceed to second and third base with no outs.
UCSD was unable to capitalize on the loaded bases, and the Rainbow Wahine took the game 3-2.
“We just have to clean up a few things and just come up clutch in those big moments,” head coach Nikki Palmer said to The UCSD Guardian in a postgame interview.
Saturday: 10-5 and 1-0 losses
UCSD looked to bounce back on Saturday — the Tritons’ Senior Day — after the previous day’s narrow loss. A strong first two innings set up the Tritons for a huge win against the Rainbow Wahine, but an unfortunate fifth inning shifted the momentum firmly in Hawai’i’s favor.
In the bottom of the first, with two bases occupied, Cherry slammed a home run past left field — her 12th of the season — to give the Tritons a 3-0 lead. In the second inning, senior outfielder Haley Garcia tripled toward the right-field wall to score freshman third baseman Tori Hinostro and extend the Tritons’ lead by one.
In the third inning, Hawai’i got one run back, but UCSD still seemed to be in control of the game. A huge fifth inning for the Rainbow Wahine, however, put the game in Hawai’i’s hands. Hawai’i pressured the Triton fielders by loading the bases and staying composed on the plate to force walks. By the end of the fifth inning, Hawai’i led 5-4.
In the top of the sixth, Hawai’i tacked on three more runs with a home run past center field that scored the runners on second and third base. UCSD once again failed to reach home in the sixth inning, putting the Tritons in an 8-4 deficit heading into the final inning.
Hawai’i sent a home run past center field to add two runs and bring the score to 10-4. Though Espiau made it home in the bottom of the seventh, it was too little, too late for UCSD, and the Tritons fell with a final score of 10-5.
The second game of Saturday’s doubleheader showcased both teams’ fielding prowesses, with Howard having a particularly impressive game, but the Tritons were ultimately unable to score runs, allowing Hawai’i to sweep the series.
The only run of the game came in the second inning when the first Hawai’i batter stepped up and sent a ball flying past center field for a home run.
In the bottom of the third, the Tritons came close to scoring with the bases loaded after two walks, but the inning ended with the runners on base.
The Triton batters were quieted for the rest of the game and never got as close to scoring. The Triton fielders, including Howard, however, remained strong to hold the Rainbow Wahine to one run.
“I feel like Callie Howard did a really good job of putting us in a good position to win,” Palmer said. “I feel like the defense backed her up pretty well, and ultimately, we just had to come up with those clutch hits, and it just didn’t fall for us.”
Howard ended the game with four strikeouts in 104 pitches in an overall strong performance, despite the 1-0 loss.
The Tritons will take on Cal State Northridge on the road in another three-game series next weekend.
“Northridge is doing pretty well,” Palmer said. “I like our chances against them. If we keep showing up and hitting the ball and staying prepared, then we’re going to be ready to go.”
The top six teams in the Big West standings will move on to the Big West Championship, which starts on May 6. UCSD currently sits in seventh place, just behind CSUN, so the upcoming series against the Matadors will significantly impact the team’s postseason chances.
