LA JOLLA, Calif. --- Anteater baseball made a valiant effort to come back from down 12-1 coming up just short in an effort to sweep the series at Triton Ballpark against the UC San Diego Tritons Sunday afternoon.
HOME FEAST
Like the Anteaters in the first two games of the series, UC San Diego ( ) got the offense cooking early in the game starting with one in the first inning from a pair of two-out doubles. They started the second inning with a run as well, and then an infield single really got things going. Jalen Smith tapped one towards third that
Dub Gleed handled making a great play on the run, but Smith just beat it to score another run and keep the frame going. The Tritons took that and ran with it proceeding to load the bases and triple them all in off the bat of Michael Fuhrman to open up a 7-0 lead after two innings.
UCSD wasn't done yet coming back in the third getting runners on from a walk and hit by pitch. After a few runs came in, Marc Filia dealt another crushing blow with two outs lifting a home run to right field to finish a five-run frame and open up a 12-1 UC San Diego lead.
MAKING IT A BALLGAME
The Anteaters ( ) did their best Triton impression after closing large gaps on both Friday and Saturday. UCI scored runs in four consecutive innings to chip away at the deficit.
Caden Kendle launched a prodigious home run to left field hitting the trolley track that stands high above and beyond the left field fence.
Taishi Nakawake would homer as well a couple innings later to pull the Tritons back into it, but both home runs came with nobody on UCI was unable to put enough of a dent in the deficit still trailing 12-6 after six innings.
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UCI chopped the lead in half again in the eighth after getting the first two runners on and help from a
Nathan Church single that went under the right fielder's glove to score both. Church later came around on a
Dub Gleed single off the Triton pitcher to suddenly make it a 12-9 ballgame in the eighth.
FINAL SCORE: UC SAN DIEGO 12, UC IRVINE 9
Much like the previous two games, the 'Eaters could not make up the full gap leaving a pair of runners on in the eighth and going down in order in the ninth to end the game. 'Eaters come away with a series win, but for a second straight year falter trying to complete the sweep on a Sunday.
UCI still recorded 13 hits including three-hit games from Fitzgerald and Church, and Church came away with two RBIs. Nakawake also had a multi-hit day scoring three times including his second career home run.
UC Irvine returns home this week for four games within five days hosting Loyola Marymount Tuesday and then Cal Poly comes into town starting Thursday, April 14, ahead of the Easter weekend with the Mustangs at 7-2 in Big West play and UCI on their heels at 8-4.
