After defeating Loyola Chicago in a 10-2, six-inning, mercy-rule victory Saturday morning, UCSB was unable to keep its momentum rolling and fell to the Ramblers, 3-0, in the second game at Campus Diamond.

With the split, the Gauchos are 10-11 on the season, while Loyola Chicago is now 5-10.

In the first game of the day, Loyola’s Kat Krause led off with a home run to center field and the Ramblers’ lead grew to 2-0 when Ellen Kresl came home on a wild pitch coupled with a Gauchos throwing error.

The next six batters went down in order before the Gauchos’ impressive second-inning showing. Tiffany Wright led off with a single up the middle and then stole second base. A Jessica Beristianos single put runners on the corners before Beristianos followed suit and stole second. Designated player Danielle Meyers walked, loading the bases before a stray pitch hit Kelsey Anderson, putting the Gauchos on the board, 2-1.

Still with no outs, an error by Ramblers pitcher Krista Crosson allowed Priscilla Perez to reach first and Anderson, a sophomore from Santa Maria’s Righetti High, to come home. Meyers scored on another Loyola error during the same play, giving the Gauchos the 3-1 lead. UCSB tallied two more hits, an RBI single from Christine Ramos and an RBI double from Jessica Ziegler, and four more runs before the Ramblers could close out the inning. The seven runs marked the most in a single inning by the Gauchos this season.

In the bottom of the third inning, Anderson led off with a single before being brought home on a Ramblers error following a Perez bunt. A sacrifice fly from Nicole Churnock brought home Perez to stretch the Gauchos lead to, 9-2.

Loyola managed a hit in each of the next three innings, but could not get another run on the board. With one out in the bottom of the sixth, Tisha Duran, a senior from Ventura College and Buena High, homered over the left field fence, prematurely ending the game as the Gauchos took the 10-2 mercy-rule victory.

Churnock and Perez led the Gauchos with two RBIs each in the win while Ziegler went 2-for-4 with a double and Beristianos was 2-for-3 with a run.

In the circle, Lindsey Correa (6-3) picked up the win after throwing six innings with two runs on five hits. She walked three and struck out four. Crosson (1-5) took the loss for Loyola after giving up seven runs off of four hits in one inning of work.

Unfortunately for the Gauchos, their momentum didn’t carry over to the second half of the doubleheader. After retiring the Rambler in order in the top of the first inning, Ramos led off the bottom with a double to left center field, but it turned out to be the lone Gauchos hit of the first two innings.

In the top of the second, Nora Schober reached first on a Gauchos fielding error before Annie Funston singled to left field. Both runners stole a base before another error allowed Schober to score the game’s first run. Loyola added another run in the third with an RBI single from Kresl.

Trailing by two runs, the Gauchos failed to take advantage of opportunities to score in the fourth and fifth innings, including a bases-loaded situation in the fifth.

Schober’s RBI single in the sixth gave Loyola a 3-0 lead and it was enough for the win.

Churnock and Ramos led the Gauchos, each going 2-for-3 at the plate. MeLinda Matsumoto (1-7) picked up the loss in the circle after allowing three runs on seven hits. The pitcher posted three strikeouts and no walks for the second consecutive contest.

Amy Solava (4-5) picked up the shutout for the Ramblers, giving up no runs on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts.

UCSB will be back in action Sunday at the Loyola Marymount Round-Robin Tournament in Westchester. The Gauchos will play host LMU after opening against North Dakota at noon.

Lisa Skvarla is UCSB’s assistant media relations director.