MESA, Ariz.– UC San Diego baseball fought hard in its last game of the MLB Desert Invitational, but could not come away with the win, falling 9-8 to Arizona on Monday afternoon at Sloan Park. 
 
Freshman Anthony Eyanson performed very well in his first start for the Tritons, pitching 5.0 shutout innings and allowing just two hits with six strikeouts and no walks.
 
At the plate, the Tritons (1-3) rallied until the very last out of the game. Crew Robinson finished 2-for-3 with an RBI and freshman Brandon Larson finished the day 2-for-5 with a two-RBI double in the ninth.  
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego got one run on the board quickly in the second inning, after Robinson knocked a single to center field to make it 1-0. Eyanson and the Tritons held the Wildcats (3-1)  scoreless through the first five innings, and back-to-back RBI singles from Nick Costello and Patrick Hackworth gave UC San Diego a pair of insurance runs to make the score, 3-0. 
 
After a great pitching performance from Eyanson, the Wildcats were finally able to break through for a run in the top of the sixth and added three more runs an inning later to take the 4-3 lead.
 
The Tritons responded to score two more runs in the bottom half of the seventh to regain the lead. Jalen Smith attempted a sacrifice fly but was able to reach on an error and score Michael Fuhrman, with Hackworth following in his footsteps on a sac-fly by Doyle Kane to score the second run of the inning, 5-4. 
 
Arizona tied the game again in the top of the eighth with an RBI single and the teams headed into the ninth knotted 5-5.
 
In a loud ninth inning, the Wildcats used an RBI single and three-run homer to retake the lead. It looked as if Arizona had the game in hand, but the Tritons attempted a furious comeback in the bottom of the ninth. 
 
With the bases loaded and one out, the situational hitting from Kane led to an RBI to make the score 9-6. In hopes of igniting the rally, Brandon Larson singled to right center to score two more but the Wildcats were able to close out the game with a putout and clinch the victory 9-8. 
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Starting pitcher, Anthony Eyanson, made his first collegiate start allowing only two hits, no runs, no walks, and six strikeouts.
• Brandon Larson and Kane Doyle were both credited with two RBI, and Nick Costello, Jalen Smith, Crew Robinson, and Patrick Hackworth all had one. 
• Brandon Larson recorded his first two hits of his collegiate career in Monday's contest.
• With the loss, the Tritons are 0-1 in the all-time series with Arizona.

 
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will continue nonconference play, hosting the Tony Gwynn Legacy* at Triton Ballpark. The Tritons' will open their home schedule on Friday against UNLV at 6 p.m. UC San Diego will face North Dakota State on Saturday at 2 p.m. and host Washington State on Sunday at 2 p.m. as well as a neutral game at 10 a.m. All UC San Diego games will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live statistics will be available via UCSDTritons.com.
 
*With rain in the forecast for the greater San Diego area, please check UCSDTritons.com and @UCSDbsb on social media for any schedule updates.
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.