CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara softball team concluded the 2018 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic on Monday against another pair of tough opponents, falling to No. 21 Utah 9-0 before dropping a 5-2 game against Loyola Marymount.

Game 1
Playing their third ranked opponent in as many days, the Gauchos (5-6) fell behind early to the Utes, who used a two-run first and three-run second to take an early 5-0 lead.

Utah pitcher Katie Donovan (3-1) proved tough for the UCSB offense, allowing just three hits while striking out nine and walking two.

The Utes tacked on two more runs in the fourth before a two-run homerun ended the game in the sixth.

Alyssa Diaz, Genesis Ramirez and Alyssa Lazatin each finished with one hit apiece for the Gauchos.

Lena Mayer (2-1) started the game in the circle for UCSB and tossed 1.2 innings, giving up three earned runs on five hits. Lilliana Rodriguez pitched the bulk of the game with four innings, allowing four runs on five hits while Veronika Gulvin also made an appearance in relief.

Game 2
In the final game of the weekend, the Gauchos fell behind early after Loyola Marymount scored two in the first and two more in the third to take a 4-0 lead.

After LMU tacked on another in the top of the seventh to go up 5-0, UCSB snapped a 30-inning scoreless streak with a two-run homerun off the bat of Kayla Krantz, her third of the season, in the bottom of the seventh.

Using momentum from the homerun, the Gauchos loaded the bases after Melanie Menor reached on an error, Maci Fines walked and Sammy Fabian singled.

Back-to-back groundballs in the infield, however, allowed Utah to escape the jam and end the UCSB comeback attempt.

Fabian led UCSB with a 2-for-4 day at the plate while Krantz went 1-for-3 with two RBIs. Fines, Ramirez, Lazatin and Rayna Cohen also tallied a hit apiece in the game.

Felisha Noriega (2-4) pitched 6.2 innings for UCSB, allowing four earned runs on nine hits with five walks and three strikeouts.

The Gauchos return to action this Thursday, Feb. 22 when they host the Gaucho Classic I, beginning with a doubleheader against Dayton starting at 1:00 p.m.