So far in this postseason, the UCSD Tritons have had the magic touch. When they have needed a big play, they’ve made it. When they’ve needed a big hit, someone has stepped up and delivered. And when a pitcher falters, the offense is there to pick him up and carry the team to victory. Thursday at Volcanoes Stadium in Keizer, Oregon, the trend continued. The Tritons came back from a 5-run 7th inning deficit to beat Cal State Dominguez Hills 11-10 and win the opener of the NCAA Divison II West Regional.
Tim Shibuya, the UCSD ace who entered the regional as a 7-game winner with an ERA under 2, was touched up for six runs in 4 1/3 innings, his shortest start of the year. At 6-5 in the 7th, CSUDH broke out against the Tritons’ reliever Sean Greer for a four-run inning, seemingly putting the game out of reach. But UCSD immediately got those runs back, with Vance Albitz’s 2-run double keying a four-run inning to make it 10-9.
After Ryland McFayden pitched a perfect 8th, UCSD loaded the bases with nobody out on singles by Evan Kehoe and Robert Sedin and a walk by Matt Cantele. There are many ways to score two runs in this situation, and the Tritons picked one of the more unusual paths. A one-out sac fly by pinch-hitter Kyle Saul scored pinch-runner Nick Burke, and a passed ball brought home Sedin with the go-ahead run.
Guido Knudsen struck out two in a perfect 9th for his 10th save of the season, and the Tritons were into the winners’ bracket in the NCAA Regional. They will now face the host Western Oregon in a 6pm Friday matchup, with the winner advancing to the championship game.
NOTES: Josh Tanner led the 13-hit Triton attack with a 3-for-5 performance and 2 RBI. Kehoe added three hits and 2 RBI, and Tanner Lee continued his offensive production with two hits and an RBI. Once again, UCSD played error-free ball, while taking advantage of two errors and three unearned runs from the Toros.
– Elsten
