LA JOLLA, Calif. –  UC San Diego went 1-1 in series play against Fairleigh Dickinson on the second day of the La Jolla Invitational. The Tritons claimed a 9-1 victory in the first match before being edged 2-1 in an extra innings contest spanning eight innings. 

Gabby Williams was in the circle for the first game, giving up one run on four hits for a 2.51 ERA. Her six strikeouts contributed to the shortened match victory. Lexi O'Gorman recorded three RBI on just one hit, while Hailey Mulligan led with two runs paired with one RBI. Williams racked up two RBI, with Morgan Eng, Zoë Richards, and Lily Hermosillo all claiming one RBI. 

Shelby Thompson got the nod for the second game, earning a 5.79 ERA on one run off three hits. India Caldwell came in as a relief pitcher for the second time this season, allowing two hits and a run in 4.2 innings for a 2.87 ERA. O'Gorman was at the forefront once again with two hits and a run, with Brooklyn Lee and Teagan Dobson joining her with two hits.  

UC SAN DIEGO 9, FDU 1 

UC San Diego found its footing in the second inning in a three-run campaign sparked by an Alexa DeMarse single to left field. DeMarse's third-base steal and a Richards walk saw the bases load for the Tritons, who capitalized off a line-hugging slice down the third-base line from Williams.  

The senior's RBI single set up Mulligan at third, who made it 2-0 after lead-off hitter Eng got walked. Williams reached home plate moments later via an O'Gorman centerfield pop-up. 

Richards made a statement on her first hit of the season, knocking a ball to the centerfield warning track for an RBI triple. Hermosillo collected an RBI single off a beam down the center before a FDU pitching change. O'Gorman proceeded to drive a hit to the centerfield fence for another RBI triple. The hit sent two Tritons home for a 7-0 scoreline. 

FDU erased the shutout opportunity after two Triton fielding errors. Williams remained composed in the circle, leaving three on base to cut the Knights' effort short. 

The fourth inning yielded more success for UC San Diego when Mulligan cracked a rocket to the right field fence for the team's third RBI triple of the game. A Williams' ground-out saw Mulligan home to end the inning 9-1. 

The Tritons managed to hold the score from here, securing a mercy rule victory in the fifth inning following a defensive stand. 

FDU 2, UC SAN DIEGO 1 

Lee kicked things off in the third inning, hitting an RBI double along the left-field line to give O'Gorman her first run of the day.  

The Knights leveled the score in the next inning after Lee overthrew Marissa Hassis at second base during a pickoff attempt, allowing a third base-bound Knight to steal home. Consecutive swinging strikeouts from relief pitcher India Caldwell prevented an FDU advantage. 

The Tritons threatened to score in the fifth inning after a fielding error, hit-by-pitch, and intentional walk loaded the bases. However, a FDU strikeout closed out the inning before UC San Diego could reach home plate. 

FDU's Brooklyn Shroyer was reliable in the circle, pitching the entire game in which she threw 149 pitches for 11 strikeouts, giving up nine hits for a 1.54 ERA. Her consistency was on full display in the sixth inning when she halted another loaded base predicament, striking out O'Gorman, who had made it on base on all three prior plate appearances. 

The Tritons could not break through Shroyer's prowess in seven innings, prompting extra innings. They would have to work from behind in the eighth inning, however, after Lee underthrew a pickoff throw, enabling a Knight score to make it 2-1. Despite Heathcock's third-base placement, the Tritons could not draw level. 

TRITON TIDBITS 

• Jackie Tremper made her Triton debut tonight at second base during game one. 

• Brooklyn Lee recorded her first collegiate hit in game two. 

• Georgia Heathcock notched her first at-bats of the season in game two.  

• The Triton's eight-run breadth in the first game was the largest margin of victory since an 8-0 win against Stonehill College on Feb. 11, 2023. 

UP NEXT 

UC San Diego finishes the La Jolla Invitational with a California Baptist matchup tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. The Tritons are 15-17 all-time against the Lancers, with their last victory coming on Mar. 9, 2022, by a score of 2-1. 

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 began a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference 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 earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.