On Saturday, the Tritons came out swinging and put up 10 runs in the first three innings of Game 1. Junior Seamus Beyerle highlighted this early offensive explosion with 2 HR and 6 RBI’s. Shane Aldas, Jordan Kassem, and Ray Estrada contributed with multi-hit games and a combined 5 runs scored. Starting pitcher Yousef Koutnik held the Bruins at bay to put himself in position for the W. In the 5th inning, Richard Mendoza entered the game in relief and would go on to complete the 4 2/3 innings save—an excellent performance during which he only gave up 2 earned runs on 4 hits. Final score: UCSD 10, UCLA 8

On Sunday, the teams played a double-header in the format of two 7-inning games. In Game 2, the Tritons were plagued by defensive mishaps and walks. Amandip Bangar made a statement in the 5th inning with a towering grand slam HR, but the 10 runs scored in the ensuing three innings would not be enough for UCSD to close the gap. The Bruins took Game 2 with a final score of 17-10.

Game 3 was a battle from start to finish. Both starting pitchers stifled opponent’s bats in the early innings. The Tritons were able to scrape across a run to take a 1-0 lead. However, UCLA would not go down easily as they answered with a 5-spot in the 4th. In the 6th, freshman Brenden Volker grabbed 2 RBI’s by executing in a bases-loaded pinch-hit situation, but it would not be enough to drive a UCSD comeback. The Bruins took Game 3 with a final score of 5-3.

The Tritons have a few weeks off until their next series of baseball. Conference play will kick off when Northern Arizona University comes to La Jolla on March 3rd and 4th.