UCSB handed UCLA its first baseball loss of the season, beating the top-ranked Bruins 8-5 on Tuesday night at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.
Christian Kirtley went 3-for-4 with an RBI double and a run and Mason Marquez knocked in two go-ahead runs with a clutch single. Mason Eng broke out in his second game this season as starting Gaucho backstop, going 2-3 with a RBI and run.
“It’s always fun taking down one of the top-ranked teams in the country,” said Kirtley.
UCLA is now 11-1 on the season while UCSB improves to 10-2.
With the Bruins leading 4-2 in the bottom of the fifth, Cole Cummings and Kyle Johnson scored off bases-loaded walks to tie the score. The bases stayed loaded for Marquez and he slugged a two-out, two-run single to left field, giving the Gauchos a 6-4 lead.
“I went up there calm and collected and saw the change-up down really well and after that I knew something good was going to happen,” said Marquez. “Scoring with two outs is a dagger to the other team every single time.”
Gaucho starting pitcher James Callahan (4 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 ER) kept the Bruins hitless through the first and second innings, but the Bruins tacked four runs off him, with one being unearned due to a fourth-inning throwing error by shortstop O’Connor.
A pair of Connors excelled in the Gaucho relief corps, first Connor Roberts (4 IP, 2 H, 0 R), then Connor Dand (1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER) who closed. Roberts earned the win to improve his record to 3-2.
“Roberts was in control of the strike zone and had all three pitches working for him. He didn’t give (UCLA) a whole lot to work with,” said UCSB coach Andrew Checketts.
The only Bruin who managed to decipher UCSB’s nasty trio of pitchers was Noah Cardenas (2-5, RBI, 2B).
Meanwhile, UCLA head coach John Savage seemed to change pitchers every chance he got. The Bruins burned through seven pitchers, four of which secured only one out or less. Starter Jared Karros surrendered four Gaucho hits and three earned runs through four innings.
“(UCLA’s pitching) command got a little loose there in the middle of the game,” said Checketts. “It looked like they were running some young guys in there and trying to give them an opportunity to establish some (bullpen) roles.”
Gaucho outfielder Steele Ledford slammed against the left field wall to rob a hit and complete a clean 1-2-3 top of the sixth.
Gauchos (10-2) hand the Bruins (11-1) their first loss of the year with a final score of 8-5 in Goleta. @NoozhawkSports story tonight. pic.twitter.com/sTPiCqyP93
— Judah the one & Brody (@judahbrody) March 4, 2020
In the eighth, Eng drove in Johnson with a single and reached second on a fielding error by UCLA left fielder Kyle Cuellar, which gave Ledford enough time to score and extend UCSB’s lead to four runs.
Garrett Mitchell scored a run for UCLA in the ninth. He drilled a single, stole second and was later driven in by JT Schwartz for the final run.
While it was a big win against a perennial national power, Checketts reminded that there’s a lot of baseball still to be played.
“It’s a 56-game season, it’s hard to celebrate too early,” said Checketts.
The Gauchos head to Oregon State for a three-game series over the weekend.