LA JOLLA, Calif. - The UC San Diego softball team split a Saturday home doubleheader with Cal State Monterey Bay, winning the first game 2-1 in nine innings before dropping a 5-4 decision in the second contest.
The Tritons, 28-18 overall and 18-14 within the California Collegiate Athletic Association, remain in fourth place in the conference standings. UCSD is a game behind third-place Cal State Dominguez Hills (19-13) and a half game above Cal State San Bernardino (17-14) and Chico State (17-14). The Tritons will travel to CSUSB next weekend for their final regular season series.
With the win in Saturday's finale, second-place CSUMB (21-11) is one victory away from securing a spot in the CCAA Tournament, to be held April 30 to May 2 in Stockton, Calif. The top four teams from the league will qualify for that competition.
Saturday's doubleheader in La Jolla served as Senior Day, where the UCSD softball program celebrated the achievements of three senior student-athletes - Mandi Eliades, Nicole Saari and Christine Zankich. All three played an important role for the Tritons Saturday. Defensively, Saari snagged a foul ball up against the backstop fence during the fourth inning of game one and Eliades made a dazzling dive to her left on a sharp grounder to end the sixth inning in game two. Zankich earned the starting nod in the second contest and threw 2.1 strong innings, allowing the Otters' offense just two baserunners.
One of the most impressive performances for the Tritons came from a junior though, leftfielder Katrin Gabriel. In the top of the third inning during Saturday's first game, Gabriel ended a potential CSUMB rally when she made a spectacular grab in foul territory as she reached over the fence to record the out. With the Otters' Diane Ortiz and the Tritons' Camille Gaito engaged in another pitching duel, the game progressed into extra innings with a 1-1 score.
After freshman Colleen Moen worked a walk in the bottom of the ninth, Gabriel stepped to the plate with two outs. As the CSUMB outfield crept closer and closer in anticipation of a bloop hit, Gabriel ripped a line drive into the gap and the ball rolled to the fence. Moen slid hard into home plate, narrowly beating the Otters' throw. The walk-off triple put the final score at 2-1.
UCSD jumped out to a comfortable 4-0 lead in game two, thanks in part to three straight CSUMB errors to start the contest. Junior Sarah Woofter in that rally came through with a big hit, lining a single up the middle to score two Triton runners.
The Otters rallied for two runs in the fourth and another two in the fifth, tying the score at 4-4. In that spurt, first baseman Jamie Moon homered over the centerfield fence to collect two runs batted in.
Heading into the seventh inning with 4-4 on the scoreboard, CSUMB broke through for the deciding run. A one-out double down the leftfield line from shortstop Niki Ames put a runner in scoring position. Catcher Shae Olds followed with a single to score Ames, and the 5-4 lead held up.
