SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Brett Vertigan tripled and hit his first career home run on Friday as UC Santa Barbara recorded its third straight Big West Conference win, 8-4 over visiting Cal State Northridge.

Vertigan ripped the first pitch he saw in the first inning for a triple down the line in right and scored the Gauchos first run one out later when Brandon Trinkwon blooped a single to left field.  In the sixth inning, with one run already home and Steven Moon on first base following a nine-pitch walk, Vertigan belted the first pitch of the at bat over the right field fence for a home run, completing the scoring in the game.

UCSB (16-13 overall, 4-1 in the Big West) scored seven of its eight runs in the fifth and sixth innings.  Northridge (12-18 overall, 1-4 in the Big West) scored three of their four in the top of the sixth on a three-run home run by Kyle Attl.

The Gauchos collected 13 hits in the game.  In addition to to the pair produced by Vertigan, Lance Roenicke and Luke Swenson each had three hits, including a double, and Trinkwon had a pair of singles. 

Freshman Austin Pettibone (5-2) was cruising before allowing the home run to Attl, and recorded his fifth win.  Jared Wilson allowed just one run in 3.2 innings of relief to earn his first save.  Matador starter Alex Muren (5-3) was taggled for 11 hits and eight earned runs in 5.2 innings on teh mount.  Two Northridge relievers, Louis Cohen and Justen Gorski, did not allow a run in a combined 2.1 innings.

The final game of the three game series will begin at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.