UC San Diego falls just short in Big West Championship, losing 4-3 to Cal Poly

UC San Diego showed nothing if not resilience this year on the baseball field.

Though UCSD lost 10 of its first 13 games, the Tritons didn't let that stop them from finding success in the Big West. They went 18-12, good for place third in the conference.

UCSD opened the Big West Championship on Thursday night with a shutout loss against Cal Poly, then fought its back through the loser's bracket to reach Sunday's championship rematch with the Mustangs.

And when the Tritons found themselves trailing by four runs midway through the title game, they mustered one more comeback.

They were a hit away from getting all the way back - or even ahead - when they ran out of outs.

With the potential tying and go-ahead runs on base in the ninth inning, Cal Poly reliever Nick Bonn retired UCSD third baseman J.C. Allen on a fly ball to left field in the ninth inning to preserve the Mustangs' 4-3 win at UC Irvine's Anteater Ballpark.

The victory over UCSD (27-28) gave Cal Poly (36-22) the Big West title and the automatic NCAA Division I Tournament berth that goes with it.

Cal Poly scored a run in the second inning off UCSD starter Trevor Rector. The Mustangs' Dylan Kordic made it 4-0 with a three-run homer in the fifth inning off UCSD reliever Jake Villar.

The Tritons have climbed out of such holes all season, so getting back in the game was a given in their minds.

Cal Poly starter Corden Pettey didn't make it easy, allowing only three hits with seven strikeouts across five shutout innings before giving way to the Mustangs' bullpen.

UCSD finally got something going against reliever Brady Estes, scoring two runs on Allen's infield out and Thomas Maher's bases-loaded walk.

The Tritons made things interesting in the ninth, getting within a run on Addison Klepsch's two-out RBI double. Teammate Gabe Camacho was intentionally walked. That set the stage for Allen, who lined the first pitch he saw from Bonn - right to Cal Poly left fielder Dante Vachini.

UCSD opened the tournament with a 1-0 loss to Cal Poly. The Tritons then strung three straight victories together, beating Cal State Fullerton 5-1 and UC Santa Barbara 7-0 to get another shot at the Mustangs. Later Saturday night, UCSD pasted Cal Poly 12-2, the game called in eight innings when the 10-run rule was invoked, to force Sunday’s winner-take-all game.

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This story was originally published May 24, 2026 at 5:07 PM.