JD Callahan gave UCSB a quality start on the mound and the offense provided him with a five-run cushion before UC Davis made things interesting in the series finale at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.
Freshman relievers Reed Moring and Tyler Bremner thwarted an Aggies’ comeback and the Gauchos prevailed, 5-4, to complete a three-game sweep and stay one game behind first-place Cal State Fullerton in the Big West baseball standings.
UCSB is 13-5 in the Big West (28-12 overall) while Fullerton stands at 17-4 after beating Cal State Northridge, 4-2, in 11 innings for its 10th conference win in its last 11. UC Davis fell to 5-13 and 14-25 overall.
After allowing a pair of hits in the first inning, Callahan stranded the UC Davis runners and proceeded to throw 5.1 no-hit innings.
The Gauchos built a 5-0 lead.
Zander Darby hit the first of three consecutive singles to load the bases in the bottom of the first. Christian Kirtley brought Darby home with a sacrifice fly to center.
The Gauchos scored four runs in the fifth inning. LeTrey McCollum was hit by a pitch to start things off, then Darby followed with a double. Jared Sundstrom‘s single to left scored McCollum and moved Darby to third Broc Mortensen‘s groundout brought Darby home and Sundstrom moved to second.
Kirtley’s hit a two-run single up the middle to make it 4-0. Kirtley would come around to score on a double from Ivan Brethowr.
UC Davis finally got to Callahan in the seventh with a walk and a double. The lead runner came home on an error to end the shutout. UCSB did get the second out of the inning on the play, catching the batter taking too wide of a turn around first. But the Aggies’ hitter doubled down the left-field line anyway to make it 5-2 and end Callahan’s day on the mound.
An RBI single made it 5-3 before Sam Whiting entered from the bullpen and got the third out.
The Aggies used a lead-off single to eighth to make it a 5-4 game
Moring prevented any further damage.
Bremner entered in the ninth and induced three fly balls to preserve the one-run victory.
This was the first series since 2018 where the Gauchos did not hit a home run; it was their first time winning such a series since taking two out of three from New Mexico State, March 24-26, 2017.
In lieu of home runs, UCSB hit 10 doubles in the series, its most in a three-game set this season. Seven different hitters recorded at least one double, and Mortensen, Corey Nunez, and Darby each had a pair.
The Gauchos head to Riverside for their next four games — a mid-week matchup with Cal Baptist on Tuesday, May 2, then a three-game Big West weekend series against UC Riverside, May 5-7.