Tritons Take Both Ends of Sunday Softball Doubleheader
April 18, 2004

Courtesy UC San Diego Sports Information Office

Complete Box Scores
Game 1       Game 2

LA JOLLA, Calif. - UC San Diego produced a crucial doubleheader sweep over visiting Cal State Dominguez Hills behind its seniors on Senior Day in California Collegiate Athletic Association softball action at UCSD’s Triton Softball Field on Sunday afternoon. The Tritons took both ends of the twinbill, which was postponed from Saturday to Sunday by rain, by the final scores of 9-3 and 2-0.

A pair of seniors made all the difference on Senior Day as UCSD closed out the home portion of its 2004 schedule with the two wins. Second baseman Kim Aggabao, the CCAA’s leading hitter heading into the weekend, slammed a two-run home run to put the capper on the game one victory, before belting another two-run home run in her very next at-bat, to open the nightcap. That was all that UCSD would need in the second game, as Jodie Bland tossed a four-hit shutout, the fourth of the season for her.

Aggabao’s home runs gave her four on the year, after having not homered over her first three seasons. She improved her batting average to .412 by going three-for-six on the day. A third senior who was honored prior to the first pitch was All-American Amy Mettee, arguably one of the greatest offensive players to ever come out of the program.

With its sixth straight win, all at home, after a spell in which it lost nine of 12, UCSD is now 27-19 overall and 21-11 in the CCAA. Cal State Dominguez Hills falls to 27-18-1 overall, 17-16 in league play after also getting swept at Grand Canyon on Friday. The Tritons are ranked 10th in the West Region as of the latest poll from last Wednesday, while the Toros were rated fourth in that same poll. The top six teams from each region will move on to the NCAA Division II Championship.

Freshman Melanie Meurer got things rolling for UCSD in the first game with a three-run, opposite-field home run in a five-run first inning. Bland had already doubled in two runs. Meurer then hit a two-run double, again to right field, in the fifth, prior to Aggabao’s homer in the sixth. The Toros scored single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings.

Aggabao was two-for-three with a double, home run, walk, three runs scored and two RBI. Meurer was two-for-five with the double, home run, run scored and five RBI. Bland drove in two while sophomore rightfielder Niki Anderson and junior catcher Jamie Hurst each crossed the plate twice. Freshman Tina Rowe threw a complete game to improve to 10-5, her third win in eight days after having not won since February 19. She allowed nine hits, three runs and four walks, striking out four.

Sophomore third baseman Cindy Perry, who entered the weekend in second in the conference in hitting behind Aggabao, had a pair of hits for the Toros, as did sophomore leftfielder Lori Moreno and senior second baseman Danielle Proctor. Junior starter Lisa Grove gave up seven runs in 4.1 innings to take the loss and drop to 11-5.

In the nightcap, Bland made Aggabao’s first-inning blast hold up by flirting with perfection. She retired the first 15 batters in order before junior centerfielder Jenny Funk hit a single which bounced through the infield right in between Mettee at third base and sophomore shortstop Desiree Franciscus. CSUDH actually loaded the bases in the inning, but Bland got Proctor to line out to sophomore centerfielder Jenny Spencer to end the threat. The Toros had runners at first and third in the seventh before Bland got sophomore catcher Natalie Greco looking to close out the game.

Bland wound up allowing four hits and one walk while striking out two and moving her record to 13-10. The Tritons managed just four hits themselves, by four different players. Funk was two-for-three for CSUDH, with junior Valerie Long, last week’s CCAA Pitcher of the Week, taking just her second loss of the season, within three days of each other, to fall to 11-2. She threw all six innings.

UCSD will compete in the eight-team Cal State Bakersfield Mountain Dew Classic in Bakersfield next Friday through Sunday, before contesting two final CCAA doubleheaders at Sonoma State on April 30 and at San Francisco State on May 1.