Softball | 2/1/2014 2:26:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

LA JOLLA, Calif. – The No. 21 University of California-San Diego softball team opened its 2014 campaign with a pair of walk-off victories over Western Oregon University Saturday.

In Game 1, Kirsten Willmon gave UC-San Diego a thrilling 4-3 season-opening victory. The senior hit a walk-off RBI triple for the Tritons (2-0). UCSD rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the bottom of the sixth inning for the victory. Willmon finished 3-for-4 at the plate. McKenna Clewett went 1-for-3 with two RBI.

Alexis Edwards picked up the victory on the mound. The sophomore pitched the final 1.1 innings, giving up only one hit, and striking out one Wolf. Alayna Brenman allowed hits and one earned run through the first 5.2 innings. She struck out four WOU batters. Neither pitcher had any walks.

Western Oregon had nine hits to the Tritons' eight. UCSD committed three errors, while the Wolves had one. WOU stranded seven runners on base and UC-San Diego left six.

After four innings of scoreless play, Amanda Evola crossed home plate for the Wolves for the first run in the top of the fifth. Lexi Jennings drove in a pair of runs for Western Oregon in the sixth inning with a single to left field. The Tritons evened the score in the bottom of the inning, capitalizing on a throwing error and Clewett's single up the middle. UCSD then took its first lead off of Willmon's triple to right center field in the bottom of the seventh, which drove in Callie Grant for the winning score.

Melanie Pfeiffer went 3-for-4 for the Wolves (0-2). The senior had a triple in the season-opening setback. Kelsie Gardner added a pair of hits on four at bats. Stephanie Morgan (0-1) was credited with the loss. The sophomore allowed two hits and one earned run in one inning of work. Eryka Brill gave up six hits and two earned runs. She threw 5.1 innings and struck out one Triton batter.

In the second game, after neither team scored in the first two innings, all 14 runs came in the final four. UCSD broke open the game with four runs in the bottom of the third. The Wolves responded with three runs in the top of the fourth, beginning with a Jourdan Williams home run over the left center fence to open the inning. Ashley Radziuk and Evola then drove in the next two runs. Evola finished 2-of-3 at the plate, with a double. Three of WOU's four hits came in the third inning.

The Tritons added two runs in both the fourth and fifth innings. After holding Western Oregon hitless in the fifth and sixth innings, UCSD sealed the 11-3 win with a Caitlin Brown RBI triple and a walk-off two run home run from Emma Schneider in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Jennifer Manuel (1-0) grabbed her first victory of the season on the mound. She struck out three batters and allowed one earned run in five innings. Sammie Cadwallader (0-1) pitched four innings for the Wolves, giving up nine hits and four earned runs.

The Tritons are now 12-3 all-time versus WOU, including 5-1 at home. Western Oregon and California-San Diego begin their doubleheader Sunday at 10 a.m. Live stats will be available on WOUWolves.com.