One day after clinching its second Big West title in the last three years, the UCSB baseball team secured a three-game sweep over conference opponent UC Riverside, downing the Highlanders 14-2 Sunday in its final regular season home game at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.
With the win, Santa Barbara secured its 40th win of the season — a mark the Gauchos have now reached in three-straight seasons — to improve to 40-12 overall with a 24-3 Big West record.
UC Riverside fell to 8-42 with the loss, 4-26 conference record.
It was another impressive start for Gaucho freshman Ryan Gallagher on the mound, as the right-handed pitcher picked up his seventh win of the season to improve to 7-0.
He tossed six innings, allowing just three hits, one walk and two earned runs while striking out two.
But, once again, it was the Gaucho offense that put on a show, scoring those 14 runs on 15 hits, which included a two-run homer from junior catcher Mason Eng, the first of his Gaucho career.
The scoring started early for UCSB, as in the first inning the team hung four on the board, starting with an RBI single from center fielder Nick Vogt to give his team a 1-0 lead.
With the bases loaded and two outs, short stop Jordan Sprinkle cashed in on the opportunity, belting a single to center field to score two runs.
Sprinkle would then steal second, and an errant throw would allow John Newman Jr., who was at third, to claim a run, giving the Gauchos a 4-0 lead.
The team kept the pressure on in the second inning, as Christian Kirtley hit an RBI single to extend the lead to five, followed by another RBI single, this one by Broc Mortensen, to give the Gauchos a 6-0 lead after two frames.
Kirtley, a junior outfielder, was 3-for-4 on Sunday with an RBI. He has been heating up at the plate, recording a hit in nine of his last 10 outings.
Additionally, Kirtley extended his on-base streak to 40 games on Sunday, as he slashes .310/.422/.535 this season.
After a run by the Highlanders in the top of the third, the Gauchos returned the favor in the bottom half, as junior Bryce Willits hit an RBI single — extending his on-base streak to 38 — to give UCSB a commanding 7-1 lead.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Gauchos essentially drove the dagger through the Highlanders, scoring another four runs.
Sprinkle hit a triple with two runners on, followed by a two-run shot by Eng to extend the lead 11-1.
UCSB would score three more runs in the seventh to get to 14, and to put its stamp on the series.
With a Big West title already in hand, Santa Barbara still could have a lot to play for in the team’s final regular season series at Cal State Bakersfield.
UCSB currently ranks No. 38 in the NCAA RPI, the highest of any Big West team, but maybe not high enough for the Gauchos to earn one of the 16 regional host bids from the NCAA on Selection Sunday on May 29.
Though three wins against Bakersfield, which ranks in the 200s in RPI, won’t improve that number much, a loss could set them back in their quest to host their first-ever Regional at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.
The Gauchos will commence its final series of the regular season Thursday against CSUB at 6:05 p.m.