UCSB baseball fell into the elimination bracket of the Big West tournament with a 4-2 semifinal loss to Cal Poly on Friday at Anteater Ballpark in Irvine.
The Gauchos will take on UC San Diego in an elimination game on Saturday at 1 p.m. If they win, they will take on Cal Poly in the championship on Saturday at 6 p.m.
UCSB will have to beat the Mustangs twice to win the Big West crown, with the if necessary game scheduled for Sunday at 12 p.m.
“The debrief will be go get them tomorrow, shower this one off and get ready to go,” UCSB head coach Andrew Checketts said. “It’s a group that’s been through it, they’ve been through some hard times, they’ve struggled and had to bounce back, so the goal is to go out, play aggressive and play our brand of baseball, get a response.
The UCSB offense took advantage of Cal Poly starter Carson Turnquist’s command struggles in the bottom of the first, as a trio of free passes loaded the bases before William Vasseur drew a one-out walk to bring home the game’s first run.
However, Turnquist then induced an inning-ending double play to keep the UCSB lead at 1-0 after one inning. The Mustangs then evened the game at 1-1 in the top of the second when Dante Vachini executed a safety squeeze to bring home a run.
UCSB starter Calvin Proskey settled in from there, as he held the potent Cal Poly offense to one run until the sixth inning.
Meanwhile, the Gauchos regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth when back-to-back walks led to a go-ahead single off the bat of Noah Karliner to take a 2-1 lead.
However, the best offense in the Big West wasn’t going to be held down for long. Cal Poly tied the game with a run in the sixth, took the lead with one run in the eighth and added an insurance run in the eighth to take a 4-2 lead.
The UCSB offense, meanwhile, struggled to mount a rally and did not have more than one baserunner in any of the final five innings, resulting in the 4-2 loss.
“We got the big hits at their place (in the regular season), their bullpen came in and threw strikes today. When we were at their place last time, they gave us a few baserunners and we capitalized on it. They got the hits when it mattered and we didn’t,” Checketts said of Friday’s loss.
The Gauchos will begin their quest for three straight wins and a Big West title on Saturday at 1 p.m.