SACRAMENTO, Calif.— The rubber match of the season opening series went to the UC Santa Barbara baseball team (2-1) Sunday afternoon which tacked on the first four runs of the game to defeat Sacramento State (1-2) 4-2. Senior shortstop McClain O'Connor came alive going 2-for-4 with an RBI double, two runs, and a stolen base.

Sophomore right hander Michael McGreevy (1-0) made his move from the bullpen to the starting rotation did not miss a beat from his impressive 2019 campaign. He went 6.2 innings allowing just one earned and four hits, while striking out a game-high seven and picking up the win. Senior pitcher Connor Dand finished up the final 2.1 innings allowing no hits and earning his first career save.

The scoring came in pairs for both teams with the Gauchos grabbing two in the 3rd and 6th innings, and the Hornets earning two in the 7th.

The 3rd inning got going with a lead off single from Mason Marquez, who would move to second on the following groundout. With two outs O'Connor stepped the plate and roped a double down the left field line and would find his way home on the following at bat thanks to an RBI single from Cole Cummings.

The Gauchos took a 4-0 lead in the 6th thanks to solid at bats and smart base running. Sophomore Christian Kirtley picked up an RBI taking a bases-loaded hit by pitch to drive in O'Connor. One out later UCSB capitalized on a Hornet mistake with the Gauchos going station to station on an infield error. Sophomore Kyle Johnson would come home to complete the scoring efforts for the visitors.

Two runs came across in the 7th for Sac State but Dand would come in and finish out the game to give give his team the series.

UCSB will play under the new lights of Caesar Uyesaka Stadium tomorrow night when the Gauchos host Cal in their home opener. First pitch is set for 5:30 p.m.