Camryn Snyder fired a three-hitter in a 2-0 UCSB win over UC Riverside in the first game of a Big West softball doubleheader at Campus Diamond on Friday.
The Gauchos lost the nightcap, 4-1, leaving them with records of 26-18 overall and 13-10 in the Big West.
Snyder struck out four en route to her 13th victory of the season.
Ashley Donaldson hit a RBI sacrifice fly to right field for the first run in the third inning. The Gauchos made it 2-0 in the fifth as Donaldson singled up the middle to score Sam Denehy, who led off the inning with a double.
Game 2
UC Riverside broke a scoreless a game with an RBI single in the second.
The Highlanders extended their lead in the sixth, scoring two runs with two outs to take a 3-0 lead to the bottom of the sixth.
The Gauchos threatened with the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth but could not break into the run column. UC Riverside scored a run in the seventh to go up 4-0.
The Gauchos scored in the bottom of the seventh on a RBI single by Korie Thomas. A Madelyn McNally walk loaded the bases, but UCSB couldn’t come up with a clutch hit.
“Their pitching was really good in game two and we didn’t do a good job making adjustments at the plate,” said UCSB coach Jo Evans. “Offensively, we had a lot of first-pitch, rollover at-bats.
“Malaya Johnson threw well for us; she gave us a winnable ball game for five or six innings. I didn’t like our response on offense. We felt a little discouraged and disappointed, and that’s not the way to play the game. In the last inning, we did a good job of fighting our way back, and that level of energy you have to carry throughout the entire game.”
In the first game, Evans said Snyder pitched well and the team found a way to win.
“I think tomorrow is going to be a great third game.”