When the UC Santa Barbara Baseball team (22-11, 10-5 Big West) added Kellan Montgomery to its pitching staff, Sunday’s performance against UC San Diego (15-16, 11-4 Big West) was exactly the value they were looking for.

The Friday starter on his previous staff, Montgomery turned in an ace performance Sunday afternoon, allowing just one earned run across eight innings to power the Gauchos to a series-clinching 3-1 victory.

With their workhorse on the mound, Santa Barbara’s offense was finally able to break through in the late innings, as Nico Libed and Liam Barrett both provided big, clutch swings. Van Froling slammed the door in the ninth for his second save of the season.

With the series on the line, there was tension from the very start, as a contested balk call while Montgomery faced the third batter of the game led to the Gauchos playing the game under protest, but before after a 20-minute delay while the umpires sorted everything out.

How did Montgomery respond to that long wait and a runner now on second base? Just by getting a groundout and a three-pitch punchout to end the inning scoreless. In the second, he picked up another backwards K, then fielded his position excellently to start a 1-6-3 double play on a hard-hit ball back to him.
 
Montgomery’s lone mistake came in the fourth on a curveball left up in the zone, leading to a solo home run for UC San Diego. Did it faze him? No. He retired the final 13 Tritons he faced, striking out a pair in the seventh to match his career-best haul of nine K’s in a game, his best day in a Gaucho uniform.
 
With their workhorse keeping everything steady on the defensive side, the Santa Barbara toiled and toiled to find a way through the Triton defense. A pair of Gauchos were caught stealing in the early innings, and Nate Vargas was robbed of a hit by a superman dive in right center to end the bottom of the sixth. 

Cole Kosciusko, pinch-hitting to start the seventh, became the second robbery victim in a row as an even better catch in center field kept his sinking line drive from finding grass
 
When a Triton mistake opened the door later in that inning, the Gauchos made sure to power their way through it. After William Vasseur’s single back up the middle, Corey Nunez hit a grounder hard but right at the hot corner, only for it to somehow get through the third baseman and into left field, setting up Gauchos at second and third.

With two outs, Libed was told to stop warming up relievers and get into the batter’s box, where he smacked a two-run double into the left field corner and put Santa Barbara on top, 2-1.
 
When Montgomery came out for the eighth inning, his pitch count was already at 118, but he opened up the reserve tank to give his side a crucial shutdown inning, retiring UC San Diego in order to help make the lead stick.

Barrett provided some extra insurance with his first home run of the season in the bottom of the eighth, setting up the Gaucho bullpen with a two-run lead for the ninth.
 
After a lead-off walk, Froling entered to face three straight left-handed hitters and though he allowed that inherited baserunner to take second base on a wild pitch, he did his job with some emphasis, striking out the side to end the game.

The Gauchos’ seemingly never-ending run of pivotal matchups continues next weekend with a visit to UC Irvine, but first Santa Barbara will head south and face the No. 1 team in the nation and a legitimate threat to break the NCAA record for consecutive wins: the UCLA Bruins, which have won 27 straight contests.

First pitch from Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles is set for 7 p.m. with the game to be broadcast nationally on Big Ten Network. Fans can also follow all the action for free with a live audio-only broadcast and live stats at ucsbgauchos.com.