Despite a heroic Herculean effort led by sophomore outfielder Brittni Carino, UCSD lost a heart-breaking doubleheader to Azusa Pacific on April 28. The Cougars wrestled the first game outright from the Tritons with a score of 7-2, and then narrowly won the nightcap, 3-1. The team’s luck ran out on April 29, however, as UCSD was winless in two games.
Tough losses:
In the April 29 nightcap, freshman third baseman Jenny Maze put the Tritons (19-29 overall, 11-16 California Collegiate Athletic Association) up 1-0 with a solo homer in the second inning and added another run in the third.
Freshman shortstop Danielle Lukk stole second and scored on sophomore second baseman Dallas Hernandez’s single, and walked on a Coyote pitching error.
The Tritons made it 3-0 for the right-handed sophomore ptcher Tina Rowe in the fifth as Lukk scored again on Hernandez’ ground ball to second.
However, the Coyotes reached Rowe for three runs to tie the game at 3-3.
UCSD’s attempt to regain the lead in the sixth failed when freshman outfielder Randelle Bundy was thrown out at the plate to retire the side after Carino singled.
However, the Tritons scored three in the seventh on an RBI double by senior outfielder Breanne Cope and Maze’s second homer of the game.
Carino, Lukk, Cope and Maze each had two hits for the Tritons in game two.
In the opener against Cal State San Bernardino that morning, the Tritons were hammered in the first game by a score of 9-1.
UCSD took a 1-0 lead in the first inning of game one on junior outfielder Jenny Spencer’s RBI infield single.
However, the Coyotes tied it at 1-1 in the second inning on a massive home run. The Coyotes later erupted for five runs in the fourth on a series of doubles.
With a lead of 6-1, the Coyotes finished the game on an RBI double along with a two-run home run for a 9-1 final score.
The opener was shortened to five innings by the mercy rule.
However, the Tritons held on for a 6-5 victory in the nightcap behind two home runs and three RBIs by Maze and the pitching of Rowe.
The second game on April 28 saw Carino leading an attempt to split the series.
Her one-out single scored Cope to put the Tritons up 1-0 in the sixth inning.
However, the Cougars snapped out of their slump and managed to tie the game by the bottom half of the inning, thanks to a few strong hits.
In the day’s opener, the Tritons surged ahead 1-0 when the third batter of the game, senior catcher Jamie Hurst, cranked her third home run of the season, a solo shot over the left-field fence.
Nevertheless, the Cougars used a four-hit, four-run fourth inning to break open a close game and assume a 6-1 lead.
The Cougars did not relinquish their sizable margin of victory for the rest of the game.
The Tritons will be back in action May 7 against Grand Canyon University.
