SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The No. 16 UC Santa Barbara baseball team scored in five of its eight turns at bat while receiving some timely defensive plays that helped keep visiting BYU to just a single run as the squad soundly defeated the Cougars 8-1 in Friday's season-opener at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.

Seven of the Gauchos' nine starters recorded a hit in the contest, but it was junior first baseman Dalton Kelly who had the biggest impact with the bat. The athletic lefty had a team-high three hits in five at-bats on the day with a double and an RBI. Left fielder Cameron Newell, DH Robby Nesovic, and second baseman JJ Muno – in his NCAA debut – each had two-RBI performances.

UCSB was able to push a pair of runs across in each of the first two innings to create some cushion room.

Muno drove in the first run of the season with two on and one out in the bottom of the first, going the opposite way through the left side for an RBI single that plated Newell. Third baseman Peter Maris then roped a ball that went for an error off BYU second baseman Tanner Chauncey's glove to get another run across.

Leadoff hitter and center fielder Andrew Calica started off the next inning with a bang, lacing a line drive into the right-center gap for a standup triple. Newell cashed in Calica in the next at-bat with a double over the center fielder's head, coming around to score himself when Kelly ripped a single through the right side.

Staked to a four-run lead after two innings, UCSB starting pitcher Justin Jacome did well for himself, allowing just a single earned run with two walks and two strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings of work. UCSB's wins leader a year ago with an 8-2 record, he received the decision as well on Friday, giving him 14 victories in his career.

Jacome scattered 10 hits in his outing, but kept the Cougars off the scoreboard thanks to some big pitches and a little help from his defense.

In the top of the first inning, what could have been a leadoff double for Brennon Lund turned into an out when he stumbled halfway to second base and was gunned out by Calica, who led UCSB with five outfield assists a season ago.

Jacome gave up a leadoff double in the second but didn't allow that runner to even advance – much less score – coaxing a meek groundout and a flyball to left before freezing Eric Urry with a frontdoor slider to end the frame.

In the next two innings, the all-freshman middle infield pairing of Muno and shortstop Clay Fisher turned inning-ending 4-6-3 double plays.

Knocking BYU starter Kolton Mahoney out of the game with no outs in the sixth, UCSB then went on to score four insurance runs off the Cougars bullpen. Nesovic did the most damage, smashing RBI singles to left field in the sixth and eighth innings.

Mahoney – who threw a no-hitter for the Cougars in 2014 – took the loss in the game, allowing five runs (three earned), six hits, two walks, and three strikeouts in five-plus innings.

Junior right-handed relievers Connor Baits and Dylan Hecht combined to throw 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. Hecht pitched the ninth inning and didn't surrender a hit.

Paul Uyesaka, a dedicated UCSB booster and the son of the late Caesar Uyesaka, threw out the ceremonial first pitch before Friday's contest.

The Gauchos and Cougars will resume their four-game series tomorrow with a doubleheader. The first game is set to begin at 11:00 a.m., with the second game scheduled for 45 minutes after the conclusion of game one.

Due to an ankle tweak to scheduled starter Domenic Mazza, Preseason-All American righty Dillon Tate will now start the first half of tomorrow's twinbill. Sophomore righty Shane Bieber will start the nightcap. They will be opposed by sophomore lefty Hayden Rogers (2-4, 2.93 ERA in 2014) in game one and senior righty Jeff Barker (6-5, 2.80) in game two.