May 7, 2011

Box Score

STOCKTON, Calif. - Senior Jessica Beristianos tied the UCSB career doubles record during Saturday's series closer at Pacific as she tallied the 42nd of her career in the Gauchos' 9-2 loss to the Tigers at Bill Simoni Field.

The loss marked the sixth straight for UCSB as it has been swept in its last two Big West series. The Gauchos fall to 24-26 on the season and 8-10 in league games. Sunday's win put Pacific in control of the conference at 14-4 and improved the Tigers to 35-16 overall.

UCSB still has the chance to close the season with a winning record as it finishes Big West play next Friday and Saturday at home against UC Davis. The three-game series kicks off with a noon doubleheader on Friday, May 13 at Campus Diamond.

The Tigers jumped on the Gauchos early, taking the lead in the first inning and never looking back. With two outs in the bottom of the first, Pacific put a pair of runners in scoring position with a walk and a two-out double by Nicole Matson. A miscue in the field by the Gauchos would give the Tigers their first two runs of the inning and a single by Kelsey Rodriguez would go down as the game-winning strike for the Tigers.

Two innings later, Pacific once again rallied with two outs, recording three straight hits. After a double by Rodriguez and a single by Alexa Rivera put runners in scoring position, Lindsey Pierce lined a shot off of Krista Cobb up the middle to score the fourth run of the game.

After leaving two runners stranded in the fourth inning, UCSB was finally able to break through in the fifth. With two outs and Brooke Putich on first, McKenzie Kane reached on an error by Pacific's shortstop. Beristianos followed with her record-tying double hit down the left field line, which plated Putich and Kane, cutting the Tigers' lead in half.

Pacific fired back with its biggest inning of the game at the bottom of the fifth. Rodriguez hit an RBI single with one out to stretch the lead to 5-2 and then scored on a Gaucho throwing error one play later. Pierce added an RBI single of her own before Megan Allen blasted a two run homer to push the Tigers' advantage to 9-2.

Cobb fell to 12-14 after tossing all six innings for the Gauchos. She allowed nine runs (five earned) on 11 hits while walking five and striking out one.

Beristianos led the way at the plate accounting for two of the Gauchos' four hits and both their RBIs. The senior's 42 career doubles matches Mandy Edwards' (1997-2000) school record.