The top four hitters in the lineup combined for eight hits and five RBIs to power the UCSB softball team to an 8-6 win over Cal Poly on Sunday, completing a three-game sweep of their Big West series at Campus Diamond.
Madelyn McNally, Ashley Donaldson, Daryn Siegel and clean-up hitter Alexa Sams each had two hits, with Sams collecting three RBIs and Donaldson two. Jazzy Santos, the No. 5 hitter, had two RBIs on a pair of sacrifice flies and No. 6 hitter Hannah Damore drove in a run with a single.
UCSB jumped on Cal Poly for four runs in the first inning. Donaldson had a RBI double, Sams ripped a two-run triple and Santos hit her first sac fly for a run.
The Gauchos picked up three runs in the fourth on RBI hits by Sams and Damore and a sac fly by Santos. They added a run in the fifth on Donaldson’s second hit of the game.
Cal Poly scored three runs off starter Ava Bradford in the third and added another run in the fourth.
Bradford was lifted for Ilona Sullivan who pitched 3.2 innings and gave up two runs on five hits and four walks. The two runs came in sixth and narrowed the UCSB lead to 8-6.
The Mustangs had two runners on with two outs in the seventh before Camryn Sullivan was brought in to get the final out. She came through, getting the out on a fly ball to right.
The Gauchos improve to 19-11 overall and 6-3 in the Big West. They haven’t reached 20 wins since the 2018 season. Cal Poly is 10-14, 3-6.