caleb ricketts
5
San Francisco USF 28-29, 14-14 WCC
10
Winner San Diego USD 33-18, 18-10 WCC
San Francisco USF
28-29, 14-14 WCC
5
Final
10
San Diego USD
33-18, 18-10 WCC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
San Francisco USF 0 1 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 5 5 4
San Diego USD 2 0 0 0 0 3 2 3 X 10 11 1

W: Romero, Ivran (4-3) L: MOLLERUS, Josh (4-2)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Allen and Ricketts Lift Toreros to Victory

San Diego baseball beats San Francisco 10-5 to open WCC Tournament

STOCKTON, Calif. — A pair of clutch home runs powered San Diego baseball (33-18, 17-10 WCC) to its first WCC Tournament win in more than seven years on Wednesday afternoon, pushing past San Francisco (28-29, 14-13 WCC) by a 10-5 margin behind big performances from junior catcher Caleb Ricketts and sophomore center fielder Dustin Allen.

With the win, three-seed San Diego advances to face two-seeded Portland in a 7 p.m. matchup Thursday evening at Banner Island Ballpark.

RICKETTS AND ALLEN LIFT TOREROS TO VICTORY
  • Sophomore infielder Kevin Sim (Torrey Pines High School) got the scoring started in the bottom of the first inning, plating junior shortstop Cody Jefferis when he grounded into a 5-4-3 double play.
  • Ricketts doubled the San Diego advantage a batter later, sending a solo home run over the right-centerfield wall to make it 2-0.
  • A solo home run from the Dons in the top of the second cut USD's lead in half before a sacrifice fly in the fourth tied it, then a pair of home runs (a two-run shot and a solo shot) in the fifth pushed San Francisco ahead by a 5-2 margin.
  • With graduate utility player and RJ Teijeiro and sophomore utility player Angelo Peraza (St. Augustine High School) aboard in the bottom of the sixth following a fielding error and a hit by pitch, Allen stepped to the plate and delivered perhaps the most crucial hit of San Diego's season to date, hammering a scorching line-drive three-run homer (his second career longball) to the top of Banner Island Ballpark's right-field porch to tie the game at five.
  • An inning later, Ricketts followed with a towering solo homer that cleared the right-field seating area (his conference-leading 13th of 2022), and San Diego was back ahead at 6-5.
  • Peraza played a hand in each of San Diego's final four runs on Wednesday, plating sophomore utility player Jack Costello with a well-executed sacrifice bunt that led to a throwing error in the seventh before he made the Dons pay for intentionally walking the batter preceding him in the eighth, clearing the bases with a two-RBI single that scored Sim and sophomore infielder Chase Meidroth and saw him advance to second on an error that brought in Teijeiro to make it 10-5.
ROMERO HEADLINES TEAM EFFORT ON MOUND
  • Senior righty Garrett Rennie started the game on the mound for the Toreros and turned in a team-high 3.1 innings, allowing a pair of earned runs on a hit and three walks while striking out three.
  • Graduate left-hander Ian Churchill followed with 1.2 frames of three-run ball, allowing three hits, walking none, and striking out two.
  • Sophomore righty Ivran Romero (Poway High School) followed with USD's most dynamic pitching performance of the afternoon, setting forth 2.2 scoreless innings while allowing just one hit, walking two and striking out five after entering in the top of the sixth to earn his fourth win of 2022 and move to 4-3.
  • Sophomore left-hander Brycen Mautz (Westview High School) was next out of the 'pen for USD, entering in the top of the eighth with two outs and a runner on first to face a single batter — which he promptly struck out to end the inning.
  • Redshirt freshman lefty Kyle Carr (San Marcos High School) fired a scoreless ninth with a single strikeout to set the Dons down in order and secure San Diego the 10-5 win.
TORERO TIDBITS
  • Ricketts led the way for the Toreros at the plate with a 3-for-5 afternoon that saw him homer twice, come across to score two runs, and drive in two more.
  • Meidroth, Teijeiro, and Peraza all notched two hits on Wednesday, each going 2-for-3.
  • Meidroth came across to score a single run, while Teijeiro scored twice while recording a double.
  • Peraza and Allen each compiled a game-high three runs batted in.
  • Sim was 1-for-3 with an RBI, a run scored, and a game-high two walks.
  • Jefferis, Meidroth, Sim, Costello, Peraza, and Allen each came across to score a single run on Wednesday afternoon.
  • Romero's five strikeouts were the most of any pitcher on either team on Wednesday.
  • USD's 10-5 win over San Francisco marked the program's first victory in the WCC Tournament since 2015, when the Toreros defeated BYU 5-4 in the second round of the event at Banner Island Ballpark.
UP NEXT
The Toreros are back in action on Thursday night with a matchup against two-seed Portland. First pitch at Banner Island Ballpark is set for 7 p.m.
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