UC San Diego loses nail-biter to Cal Poly in Big West Tournament opener

UC San Diego came out on the short end of a pitching duel against Cal Poly on Thursday night, losing 1-0 in its Big West Championship opener at UC Irvine's Anteater Ballpark.

UCSD right-hander Steele Murdock (4-3) had one of his finest outings of the season, allowing three hits and one run over eight innings with 11 strikeouts.

Cal Poly's Griffin Naess (7-4) and Nick Bonn matched Murdock on the mound, combining on a three-hit shutout that included 11 strikeouts by Naess over 7 2/3 innings.

The game's only run came in the second inning when Cal Poly's Jake Downing coaxed a leadoff walk against Murdock on four pitches, moved to second on another walk, was sacrificed to third and scored on a two-out single by teammate Nate Castellon.

The loss dropped the third-seeded Tritons (24-27) into an elimination game against Cal State Fullerton (24-31) on Friday at 6 p.m. Fullerton lost 7-4 to top-seeded UC Santa Barbara (38-16) earlier in the day.

Murdock has had some impressive outings for the Tritons this season, highlighted by a school-record 17-strikeout performance last month against UCSB. This start was the most pressure-packed of the season for the redshirt sophomore from Herriman, Utah.

Murdock responded, motivated in part by a last month’s outing against the Mustangs, who chased him after 4 1/3 innings in which he allowed six runs (three earned). This time, Murdock allowed two hits in the first inning and one in the second when Cal Poly scored. He held the Mustangs hitless over the next six innings while allowing only three base runners.

UCSD's offense couldn't manage a run, however, despite threatening late in the game.

The Tritons loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth, but Cal Poly (34-21) got out of the inning with a force out at second base. In the ninth, UCSD had the potential tying run 90 feet away with one out after pinch runner Raphael Dunne advanced from first to third on an errant pickoff throw.

Dunne was stranded there when Bonn got a strikeout and a fly out for his 13th save of the season.

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