The No. 3 seed UC Santa Barbara Softball team opened the 2026 Big West Championship with an intense 10-9 win over the No. 6 seed UC San Diego.
The Gauchos walked it off in the bottom of the ninth to advance in the winner’s bracket of the tournament and will take on No. 2 seed Hawai’i tomorrow.
UC Santa Barbara took the lead first in the opening frame when Emily Carr grounded out to third base, allowing Dani Rauscher to score for a 1-0 lead.
After a quick second inning for both sides, UC San Diego plated three in the top of the third to take a 3-1 lead over the Gauchos. A few hits and fielding errors led to the runs.
This was not unfamiliar territory for the Gauchos, as they trailed after three innings in two of three games against the Tritons in the regular season.
Ainsley Waddell responded in the fourth when she launched a two-run home run to right field to tie the game at three.
Following a four-run outburst in the fifth inning, the Tritons regained the lead, 7-3. The Gauchos responded with four runs of their own to tie the game again.
Bella Fuentes crushed a two-run homer to left field before Giselle Mejia earned an RBI walk and Dani Rauscher tied the game on a fielder’s choice, scoring Delaina Ma’ae.
The sophomore catcher delivered again in the sixth inning, with an RBI double to tie the score at 8-8 after UC San Diego reclaimed the lead with a solo home run in their half of the sixth.
After a scoreless seventh and eighth inning from both sides, another solo home run in the top of the ninth gave the Tritons a late lead. With their backs against the wall again, Waddell completed her standout performance with a second home run to tie the game.
Following the Waddell home run, the Gaucho offense continued to put pressure on UCSD as they loaded the bases. Freshman Ella Myers singled to bring home Mejia and secure the 10-9 walk-off win for UC Santa Barbara.
Malaya Johnson earned the victory after starting the game and then re-entering to pitch the final 2.1 innings and 6.1 in total.
UC Santa Barbara advances in the Big West Championship and will continue tomorrow at 4 P.M. against Hawai’i. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with live stats available.