April 30, 2011

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

LONG BEACH, Calif. - UC Santa Barbara battled through 13 innings in an attempt to earn a split in Saturday's doubleheader at Long Beach State, but the Gauchos fell short of the win as the 49ers won game two, 6-5, on the heels of a 5-0 win in the series opener.

With the doubleheader sweep, Long Beach is ensured the series victory over UCSB regardless of the result of the series closer, which will be played on Sunday at 1 p.m. This marks the Gauchos second Big West series loss this year, they had won their last three straight.

UCSB falls to 24-22 on the season and 8-6 in Big West play. Long Beach improves to 32-14 overall and 10-4 in league games.

With two runners on and one out in the bottom of the 13th inning of Saturday's night cap, Sarah Carrasco hit an RBI single to right field to send Hannah De Gaetano home for the game-winning run.

The Gauchos had gained the initial lead way back in the second inning off a two-RBI double to left field by Amanda Ziegler.

Long Beach cut the Gaucho lead to one run at the bottom of the same inning when Alisha Rosen singled through the left side. The 49ers then took the advantage in the third inning with a trio of runs, the first of which was scored off an RBI single to left field by Carrasco. A wild pitch and a fly out to center field allowed the next two runs to come home and put Long Beach ahead, 4-2.

UCSB was able to tie the game up in the sixth when Allison Taylor doubled to right center field scoring Jessica Beristianos and Lainey DePompa.

Despite loading the bases at the bottom of the seventh inning, Long Beach was unable to break the tie and the game was sent into extra innings.

Pitchers Krista Cobb and Erin Jones-Wesley - who each came in as the third pitcher for their teams - kept their slates clean during the eighth, ninth and tenth innings.

In the 11th, DePompa earned a walk and then, with two outs, Taylor hit her second double of the game to center field scoring DePompa and putting UCSB up 5-4. The 49ers were not down long though as De Gaetano led off with a solo home run to once again knot the game.

It was De Gaetano who got the ball rolling for the 49ers in what proved to be the final inning as she led off with a walk before moving to third on a double from Caitrin DeBaun, setting the table for Carrasco's game-winning heroics.

Krista Cobb (12-11) suffered her second loss of the day after pitching the final 9.1 innings of the game in which she allowed just two runs off of eight hits while walking two and striking out four. Andriana Collins started the game and allowed four earned runs on six hits while walking one and fanning two. Jenny Liepman tossed 2.1 innings and allowed just one hit while striking out three.

Jones-Wesley (18-5) grabbed her second win of the day after limiting the Gauchos to just one run and two hits in the final five innings. She walked one and struck out four.

Offensively, Taylor led the Gauchos going 3-for-6 with three RBI, two doubles and a run.

In the first game of the series, Long Beach got out to an early lead when pinch runner Emily Gregorio scored on a Gaucho error at the bottom of the first. An RBI single from Liz Javier and a two-run double by Christina Schallig stretched the lead to 4-0 in the third.

The 49ers tacked on one more run off an RBI double to right field by Nalani St. Germain in the fourth to bring the score to 5-0.

Jones-Wesley limited the Gauchos to just five hits in the shutout. She walked five and struck out five.

Cobb allowed five runs (four earned) off of five hits while walking two and striking out two in the first four innings. Collins closed the game and pitched two perfect innings.

Lauren Boser led the UCSB offensive effort by tallying two of their five hits.