Thursday, May 27
La Jolla, Calif.
5:00 pm
California State University at Northridge
20-17, 20-17
1
at
3
UC San Diego
22-27, 19-18
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
CSUN
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
7
2
UC San Diego
0
1
0
0
1
0
1
0
X
3
8
3
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Leonard,Cameron (5-6)
L: Sodersten, Blake (3-2)
S: Mitchell,Michael (5)
Batting:
RBI: Ball, Ryan 1
SH: Bohning, Brandon 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bullard, Robert 1
CS: Bullard, Robert 1
PO: Ruiz, Jose 1
Batting:
HR: Lucchetti,Anthony 1
RBI: Lucchetti,Anthony 1 ; Kim,Aaron 1 ; Lau,Everett 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Fuhrman,Michael 1 ; Lucchetti,Anthony 1 ; Kim,Aaron 1
SB: Weiner,Tyler 1 ; Gozzo,Paul 1
CS: Kritsch,Jackson 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
1B/RHP
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
UTIL
/ Baseball
Photo by: Braden Villanueva
Matadors Drop 3-1 Decision at UC San Diego
5/27/2021 8:24:00 PM | Baseball
LA JOLLA, Calif.---CSUN Baseball (20-17, 20-17 Big West) loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth but UC San Diego (22-27, 19-18 Big West) held on for a 3-1 victory in the opener of a four-game series on Thursday at Triton Ballpark. Seniors Robert Bullard and Jayson Newman came away with a combined four of the Matadors' seven hits in the contest while Ryan Ball drove in the Matadors' lone run. On the pitching side, Blake Sodersten received the loss after working five innings and allowing two runs.
GAME BREAKDOWN
In Thursday's low-scoring series opener, the Tritons struck first in the second inning against Sodersten. The first three batters reached safely to start the inning, capped by an RBI single from Everett Lau. It would be the only blemish on Sodersten in the inning as the next three batters were retired in order.
The Matadors could not take advantage of two UCSD errors in the first inning after two base runners were thrown out on the base paths. However, CSUN would even the game in the fourth inning behind a two-out hit. After Bullard hit a leadoff single, two-straight batters were retired by Cameron Leonard. Newman kept the inning alive by working a two-out walk before Ball delivered with an RBI single to even the game at 1-1.
Sodersten bounced back with a shutout third and fourth but in the fifth inning, the Tritons surged back in front. The Matador right-hander struck out two batters in the frame before a two-out single from Aaron Kim brought home Michael Fuhrman. Jackson Kirtsch also came away with a two-out single to left field but Ball threw out Kim trying to advance to third base on the play. Â
Elias Jauregui took over for Sodersten in the sixth and tossed a scoreless frame, pitching around a one-out single. However, UCSD added a key insurance run in the seventh on a solo home run from Anthony Lucchetti.
The Tritons looked for more in the seventh inning but Kyle Hoskins snuffed out the rally by retiring the last two batters of the frame. Hoskins would pitch the Matadors' lone 1-2-3 inning on the mound in the bottom of the eighth.
On the offensive side, the Matadors had at least one runner in scoring position in each of the last four innings. The Tritons though came away with timely pitching to keep the Matadors at bay in all of those innings.
In the sixth, CSUN had runners at the corners with two outs before Leonard retired Denzel Clarke on a flyout. An inning later, Sean Skelly stood at second base with one out but Leonard saw down the next two batters in order. UCSD reliever Michael Mitchell would strand two more CSUN base runners in the eighth after striking out Clarke to end that inning.
CSUN forged one more rally in the top of the ninth inning, eventually loading the bases with two outs. Dalton Vanhille would work a one-out walk before both Bullard and Mason Le reached on two-out bunt singles. Mitchell though came away with another timely out by striking out Jose Ruiz to end the game.
GAME NOTES
Hoskins retired all five batters he faced in the game and finished with two strikeouts out of the bullpen. Jauregui tossed 1.1 innings, allowing a run on two hits.
Newman extended his hit streak to 18-straight games, tying Clarke for the longest hit streak by a Matador this season. Clarke would see his 22-game on-base streak and 18-game hit streak end on Thursday after an 0-for-4 day at the plate.
ACCORDING TO HEAD COACH DAVE SERRANO
"We suffered a tough 3-1 loss tonight. I can sit here and make many excuses for our team. We haven't played in two weeks, we had a different schedule today down in San Diego with a later game and Kai Moody out of the lineup but the bottom line is we didn't play well enough to win in any phase of the game. We didn't pitch well enough, didn't play good enough defense, ran ourselves out of an inning on the bases and our offense let some opportunities get away from us. On the positive side of things, we get to bounce back tomorrow and my belief is this group will."
UP NEXT
CSUN will compete in its final doubleheader of the season as the Matadors face UC San Diego in a twin bill on Friday starting at 1 p.m. Both games will stream on ESPN3.
#UniteTheValley
Â
GAME BREAKDOWN
In Thursday's low-scoring series opener, the Tritons struck first in the second inning against Sodersten. The first three batters reached safely to start the inning, capped by an RBI single from Everett Lau. It would be the only blemish on Sodersten in the inning as the next three batters were retired in order.
The Matadors could not take advantage of two UCSD errors in the first inning after two base runners were thrown out on the base paths. However, CSUN would even the game in the fourth inning behind a two-out hit. After Bullard hit a leadoff single, two-straight batters were retired by Cameron Leonard. Newman kept the inning alive by working a two-out walk before Ball delivered with an RBI single to even the game at 1-1.
Sodersten bounced back with a shutout third and fourth but in the fifth inning, the Tritons surged back in front. The Matador right-hander struck out two batters in the frame before a two-out single from Aaron Kim brought home Michael Fuhrman. Jackson Kirtsch also came away with a two-out single to left field but Ball threw out Kim trying to advance to third base on the play. Â
Elias Jauregui took over for Sodersten in the sixth and tossed a scoreless frame, pitching around a one-out single. However, UCSD added a key insurance run in the seventh on a solo home run from Anthony Lucchetti.
The Tritons looked for more in the seventh inning but Kyle Hoskins snuffed out the rally by retiring the last two batters of the frame. Hoskins would pitch the Matadors' lone 1-2-3 inning on the mound in the bottom of the eighth.
On the offensive side, the Matadors had at least one runner in scoring position in each of the last four innings. The Tritons though came away with timely pitching to keep the Matadors at bay in all of those innings.
In the sixth, CSUN had runners at the corners with two outs before Leonard retired Denzel Clarke on a flyout. An inning later, Sean Skelly stood at second base with one out but Leonard saw down the next two batters in order. UCSD reliever Michael Mitchell would strand two more CSUN base runners in the eighth after striking out Clarke to end that inning.
CSUN forged one more rally in the top of the ninth inning, eventually loading the bases with two outs. Dalton Vanhille would work a one-out walk before both Bullard and Mason Le reached on two-out bunt singles. Mitchell though came away with another timely out by striking out Jose Ruiz to end the game.
GAME NOTES
Hoskins retired all five batters he faced in the game and finished with two strikeouts out of the bullpen. Jauregui tossed 1.1 innings, allowing a run on two hits.
Newman extended his hit streak to 18-straight games, tying Clarke for the longest hit streak by a Matador this season. Clarke would see his 22-game on-base streak and 18-game hit streak end on Thursday after an 0-for-4 day at the plate.
ACCORDING TO HEAD COACH DAVE SERRANO
"We suffered a tough 3-1 loss tonight. I can sit here and make many excuses for our team. We haven't played in two weeks, we had a different schedule today down in San Diego with a later game and Kai Moody out of the lineup but the bottom line is we didn't play well enough to win in any phase of the game. We didn't pitch well enough, didn't play good enough defense, ran ourselves out of an inning on the bases and our offense let some opportunities get away from us. On the positive side of things, we get to bounce back tomorrow and my belief is this group will."
UP NEXT
CSUN will compete in its final doubleheader of the season as the Matadors face UC San Diego in a twin bill on Friday starting at 1 p.m. Both games will stream on ESPN3.
#UniteTheValley
Â
A Conversation With Dave Serrano
Friday, May 15
Baseball HC reveal 2019
Sunday, June 23
National Student-Athlete Day 2019 - Jayson Newman
Friday, April 05
CSUN Baseball - 27 Miles
Friday, November 09