LA JOLLA, Calif. - The UC San Diego softball team held leads in both halves of Friday's home doubleheader with Cal State Monterey Bay but ultimately, the Otters' clutch hitting dealt the Tritons two losses.
A single by Jennifer De Fazio down the leftfield line put UCSD on top 1-0 in the sixth inning of game one. In CSUMB's next turn at the plate, pitcher Diane Ortiz belted a two-run homerun that eventually lifted the Otters to a 2-1 victory. The Tritons, thanks in large part to a base-clearing double from senior catcher Nicole Saari, jumped out to a 5-1 lead after the first three innings of the afternoon's second contest. The CSUMB rallied for six runs in the fourth inning and another two scores in the seventh, finishing with a 9-5 win.
UCSD falls to 27-17 overall this season, while holding a 17-13 mark within the California Collegiate Athletic Association. Friday's losses drop the Tritons into fourth place in the conference standings, one game behind Cal State Dominguez Hills and a half game above Cal State San Bernardino. The second-place Otters improve to 27-15 overall and 20-10 in the CCAA, keeping pace with league-leading Sonoma State. The Tritons and Otters will close out their four-game series on Saturday starting at 11 a.m.
Friday's first contest featured a pitching duel between UCSD sophomore Camille Gaito and CSUMB junior Diane Ortiz. Both hurlers threw scoreless ball through the first five frames. The Tritons broke through for a run in the bottom of the sixth, when De Fazio drove a single down the leftfield line to bring in Nicole Spangler.
Ortiz got revenge in the next half inning, launching a two-run blast over the leftfield fence to give the Otters the 2-1 lead for good. The CSUMB pitcher, who ended up throwing 140 pitches in the game, improved her record to 12-10. Gaito allowed five hits and two walks while also throwing a complete game.
The UCSD offense started the second game strong, getting on the board with a run in the first inning off an RBI single by senior Mandi Eliades. Despite the Otters getting a score in the top of the second, Saari cleared the bases with a double in the bottom half of the inning to give the Tritons a 4-1 lead. UCSD extended its advantage to 5-1 when Colleen Moen and Rhiannon Ousley knocked back-to-back doubles in the bottom of the third.
CSUMB's big inning came in the top of the fourth, as the Otters tallied six runs to take a 7-5 lead. The rally was capped off by a three-run homerun from senior Jenny Montez. The visitors would add two late scores to push the final result to 9-5. Ortiz, who entered the game as a reliever for the final four innings, earned the win to improve to 13-10.
On Saturday, the Tritons will honor the softball class of 2010 - Mandi Eliades, Nicole Saari and Christine Zankich. During their three years as Tritons, the trio has helped UCSD to an overall record of 124-93.
