Rodney Boone struck out 14 in 6.2 innings in the first game of doubleheder sweep by the UCSB baseball team against Cal State Northridge on Saturday at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.
The Gauchos won the opener 11-1 in a run-rule eight innings and took the nightcap 11-3. The wins improve their record to 21-8 overall and 11-3 in the Big West. CSUN is 5-10 overall and in conference.
Boone became the first Gaucho hurler to collect 14 strikeouts since Mario Holland had 16 in 2010. Barry Zito had a 14-strikeout game in 1997.
Boone allowed one run on two hits. After allowing the first two batters to reach in the first, the southpaw struck out eight straight batters and retired 12 in a row.
Nick Welch got the final four outs for UCSB. He allowed one hit and a walk.
Gianni Bloom got things started for the Gauchos in the third with his first homer of the year, a lead-off solo shot over the right field wall.
UCSB posted three runs in the fourth, sixth, and eighth, and added a single run in the fifth.
Jason Willow got it started in the fourth with a sac-fly to center and Steele Ledford followed with a RBI single up the middle to score Broc Mortensen. Cole Cummings got hit by a pitch with the bases-loaded to make it 4-0.
Zach Rodriguez led off the bottom of the fifth crushing his second home run of the weekend over the left field wall to extend the lead 5-0.
Three more came in the sixth with Jordan Sprinkle staying hot and hitting an RBI single through the right side. Christian Kirtley belted his second homer of the year over the left field wall, a two-run shot that gave his team an 8-0 lead.
The lone run of the game for CSUN came in the top of the seventh on a home run by Jose Ruiz off Boone.
Up 8-1 in the bottom of the eight, Kirtley notched a bases-loaded sac-fly and Rodriguez hit a two-run single to end the game.
Both Kirtley and Rodriguez had three RBI and Sprinkle went 3 for 5.
Game two was all Gauchos from the jump as they posted two runs in the first inning and seven in the second.
Chris Troye opened the game on the mound for UCSB getting out of a tough inning unscathed before freshman Cory Lewis came in to pitch 6.1 innings. He allowed three runs on three hits while striking out a career-high 11 batters.
Hayden Hattenbach finished the game, retiring the five batters he faced, three by strikeout.
Mortensen gave UCSB the early lead with a two-run homer in the first inning. He now has a conference-leading seven homers on the year.
In the second, Bryce Willits and Mason Eng hit RBI doubles, and Kirtley and Willow had RBI singles. Sprinkle collected a sac-fly and the Gauchos capitalized on a Matador error to put up seven runs.
Up 9-0, UCSB got a RBI from Rodriguez to put another possible run-rule in play.
CSUN avoided it with a trio of runs in the sixth and seventh to make it 10-3.
Willow hit a solo homer in the eighth to make it 11-3.
Mortensen, Willow and Eng all had two hits for the Gauchos.
UCSB will look for the series sweep in Sunday’s finale.
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.