Box Score SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Tommy Jew stole home for the game-winning run in the seventh inning and Chris Lincoln closed the door for his seventh save of the year to lead the No. 19 UC Santa Barbara baseball team to a 3-2 victory over Stephen F. Austin on Friday afternoon at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.
In a game that lasted just under two hours, UCSB (21-5) mustered just two hits but used heads up base running down the stretch and strong pitching to seal the win.
Ben Brecht improved to 6-0 with another superb outing on the bump, tossing 7.1 innings allowing just five hits and no earned runs while striking out four.
The Lumberjacks jumped on the board early in the first, taking advantage of a UCSB error, to take a 1-0 lead.
Thomas Rowan tied the game with a solo home run, his fourth of the season, over the left field fence to make it 1-1 in the bottom of the second.
It was déjà vu in the third as SFA reached on another Gaucho error, stole second, and took a 2-1 lead on a bloop single just over the outstretched arm of shortstop Andrew Martinez.
Santa Barbara answered back in the fifth after Armani Smith reached and advanced to second on a throwing error. Two straight wild pitches allowed him to come home and tie the game at 2-2.
Jew tallied the Gauchos' second hit of the game to lead off the seventh and moved over to second on a Smith groundout. With two outs, Jew swiped third and promptly stole home with a headfirst slide just ahead of the pitch.
With one out in the top of the eighth, Lincoln came on for the five-out save and after walking the first batter he faced to load the bases, got the next five outs in order to seal the game.
UCSB and SFA continue series action tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 p.m. at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.
