BOX SCORE 1 | BOX SCORE 2 Game 1:  UCSD 3, SSU 0  --  Box Score  |  Archived Audio Broadcast
Game 2:  SSU 1, UCSD 0  --  Box Score  |  Archived Audio Broadcast

ROHNERT PARK, Calif. -- After suffering a 3-0 loss to open the series, Samantha Lipperd rebounded quite nicely, throwing her sixth-career no-hitter, and thanks to an RBI double by Hayley Condon in the third inning of game two, Sonoma State salvaged a split of Friday's softball doubleheader in Rohnert Park with a 1-0 win in the nightcap.  The Seawolves, who remain solid at fifth place in the CCAA standings with a 13-13 mark in conference play, move to 27-15 overall.  The Tritons hold their fourth place standing with records of 30-14 and 21-9 in the CCAA.

Lipperd (22-8) struckout 18 batters in Friday's twinbill, including 11 in the opener, moving her season strikeout total to 284 and Condon extended her hitting streak to 12 games, a team high for the season thus far.

Game 1:  UC San Diego 3, Sonoma State 0  --  Box | Audio

With the two best pitchers in the CCAA facing off against each other in the series opener (Lipperd against Camille Gaito), it would come down to which offense would come through in the clutch.  Almost immediately, it was UC San Diego to push ahead.  Kris Lesovsky took the second pitch of the game down the left field line for a leadoff single, followed by a walk to Kirsten Willmon.  Lipperd would strikeout her first victim of the day (Caitlin Brown), but Charly Swanberg laced a double to left center field, plating Lesovsky and Willmon for the early 2-0 lead.

Meanwhile, Gaito kept the Sonoma State bats silent until the fourth inning when the Seawolves would load the bases with just one out -- Condon singled, Ali Palermo reached on an error and Samantha Lepp singled, all with one out.  However, Gaito worked herself out of the jam, striking out Skylynn Myers and forcing Megan Konieczka to fly out to right field, stranding all three runners on base.  SSU would eventuallly leave seven on base in the game.

The Tritons tacked on an insurance run in the sixth when Brown blasted the first pitch she saw, hitting it off the top of the wall in left field, bringing home Lesovsky for the 3-0 lead.

Outside of a hit in the sixth inning by Vanessa Currie, Sonoma State couldn't muster up any more offense against Gaito, who retired the side in order to notch her 19th victory of the season.  She allowed five hits, two of which came off Currie's bat, and two walks while fanning five.  Lipperd also went the distance, allow giving up five hits, but three runs (all earned) and two walks with 11 strikeouts, the seventh time in eight games that she's recorded 10 or more K's in one game.

Game 2:  Sonoma State 1, UC San Diego 0  --  Box | Audio

Friday's nightcap would prove to be much of the same, but the offense would be much more one-sided.  Lipperd fired her sixth-career no-hitter in the 1-0 victory, allowing just two base runners in the game -- one in the fourth inning and one in the seventh, both on walks.  The runners would never advance beyond first base.

The Seawolves would break through for a run in the bottom of the third on a double to right field by Condon that would score Ancia Purdy, giving SSU the 1-0 lead.  That's all Sonoma State would get and that's all it would need.  Condon went 2 for 3 to lead the hosts offensively.

Lipperd continued her strikeout barage, fanning seven Tritons in game two, totalling 18 for the day.  Her counterparts, UCSD's Jennifer Manuel (3-3) and Michelle Escamilla combined to allow six SSU base hits.

Sonoma State and UC San Diego will wrap up the series on Saturday with a doubleheader set to start at 11:00 a.m.