Box Score
TURLOCK — UC San Diego showed why it has the top pitching staff, number one offense and is the best fielding team in the California Collegiate Athletic Association on Friday.
In the series opener, the fourth-ranked Tritons blanked Cal State Stanislaus, 7-0, behind a complete-game shutout by Tim Shibuya with timely hitting and rally-killing defense. UCSD improved to 31-5 overall and 21-4 in the CCAA.
The Warriors scattered 10 hits but came up empty as they dropped to 17-17 overall and 13-12 in conference play.
Opportunities were aplenty for the Warriors but double plays and strike outs were the enemies on Friday. The Warriors grounded into four double plays and left seven runners on base -- twice with runners on second and third with one out. In both of those situations, a strike out ended the rally.
Shibuya went the distance for UC San Diego but gave up 10 hits. He struck out seven and walked three and managed to get 13 ground outs with help from his defense. Shibuya improved to 8-1 on the season.
UC San Diego got on the board twice in the opening frame off Stanislaus starter
Eric Cendejas. A leadoff single, an error and a walk loaded the bases. The opportunistic Tritons used a fly ball and a grounder to second to score two for a 2-0 lead.
In the UCSD third, a single and a double started another rally. Two more singles later, the Tritons took a 4-0 lead. UCSD tagged on a run in the fifth and two more in the eighth on a two-run single by Grant Bauer for the final count.
Cendejas lasted seven innings and gave up five runs on seven hits. He struck out four and walked three.
Derek Eaton tossed the last two innings and gave up two runs on three hits.
The Warriors didn't have trouble hitting Shibuya as
David Contreras,
Corey Conflenti and
Seth Hudson each had two hits. In fact, the first six batters in the Warrior lineup combined to go 8-for-18 against the UCSD ace.
Three UC San Diego Tritons -- Brandon Gregorich, Blake Tagmyer and Bauer -- each had two hits and drove in two runs.