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University of California, Santa Barbara

Baseball

No. 14 Gauchos Level Wichita State Series Behind Bieber's Complete Game Effort

Box Score

WICHITA, Kan. – Sophomore righty Shane Bieber tossed his first ever complete game and a four-run fourth inning provided all the offense No. 14 UC Santa Barbara would need as the Gauchos evened their series with Wichita State by virtue of a 6-3 win in Saturday afternoon's contest at Eck Stadium.

Bieber was a workhouse for UCSB (12-5) in the tilt, going the full nine innings, the first Gaucho pitcher to accomplish that feat this season. In the complete game victory, he allowed seven hits and two earned runs while walking just one and striking out a career-high 10.

Improving his personal record to 3-2, he fired a remarkable 93 strikes in the win.

Senior left fielder Cameron Newell led the Gauchos' offensive efforts on Saturday, going 3-4 and reaching base four times. Redshirt sophomore center fielder Andrew Calica added a pair of hits while scoring two runs and junior DH Robby Nesovic had a team-best two RBIs out of the cleanup spot.

After the teams traded runs in the first inning, UCSB put together a four-run rally in the fourth inning off Wichita State (6-11) starter Isaac Anderson to go ahead for good.

Senior shortstop Peter Maris fired the first shot, ripping a one-out double down the right field line to score Luke Swenson, who had worked a walk to open the frame. Senior catcher Campbell Wear followed that up with his only hit of the day, a solid single back up the middle, scoring Maris and putting the Gauchos up 3-2.

Calica kept the party going by swatting a double the opposite way into left field, plating the eventual game-winning run,  and then Newell closed the rally with a run-scoring base hit into right-center, making it 5-2 in favor of UCSB.

Meanwhile, Bieber did an excellent job of limiting the Shockers throughout the contest. The home team took advantage of a couple of his mistakes, with Ryan Tinkham recording an RBI double in the third and Chase Rader going yard in the sixth, but otherwise Bieber was in command all afternoon.

Bieber was dealt a blow in the first as an error on what should have been an inning-ending groundout turned into an unearned run for WSU, but Wear helped his pitcher out by throwing out an attempted basestealer at second base during the next at-bat.

UCSB's right-hander then pitched out of two-on, nobody out jam in the second inning without allowing a run, coaxing back-to-back groundouts after the Shockers sacrificed the runners into scoring position for the first out.

After that, he settled into quite the groove, allowing just four hits over the next seven innings.

Despite throwing so many pitches, he seemed to get better as he went along. Rader's sixth inning big fly was the last time a WSU player would reach base. After the homer, Bieber struck out the next two batters to end the inning, then went up three-up, three-down in the final three frames, ending the game by retiring 11 straight.

Anderson was tagged with the loss on the day, falling to 2-3. He did not survive the fourth inning rally, ending the day with a line of 3 2/3 innings pitches, seven hits, five earned runs, two walks, and three strikeouts.

The Gauchos will send junior southpaw Justin Jacome (2-1, 3.16) to the mound in Sunday's rubber match to face WSU left-hander Sam Hilliard (0-1, 4.58). Jacome allowed just one run on five hits over 8 1/3 innings against the Shockers last season. Hilliard played first base for Wichita State in the first two games of the series. First pitch is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. PDT.

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Players Mentioned

Shane Bieber

#19 Shane Bieber

RHP
6' 3"
Sophomore
Andrew Calica

#21 Andrew Calica

OF
6' 1"
Redshirt Sophomore
Justin Jacome

#44 Justin Jacome

LHP
6' 6"
Junior
Peter Maris

#1 Peter Maris

INF
5' 10"
Senior
Robby Nesovic

#23 Robby Nesovic

RHP/UT
6' 4"
Junior
Cameron Newell

#12 Cameron Newell

OF
6' 1"
Senior
Luke Swenson

#5 Luke Swenson

OF
5' 9"
Redshirt Senior
Campbell Wear

#35 Campbell Wear

C
6' 3"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Shane Bieber

#19 Shane Bieber

6' 3"
Sophomore
RHP
Andrew Calica

#21 Andrew Calica

6' 1"
Redshirt Sophomore
OF
Justin Jacome

#44 Justin Jacome

6' 6"
Junior
LHP
Peter Maris

#1 Peter Maris

5' 10"
Senior
INF
Robby Nesovic

#23 Robby Nesovic

6' 4"
Junior
RHP/UT
Cameron Newell

#12 Cameron Newell

6' 1"
Senior
OF
Luke Swenson

#5 Luke Swenson

5' 9"
Redshirt Senior
OF
Campbell Wear

#35 Campbell Wear

6' 3"
Senior
C