Box Score FULLERTON, Calif.— No. 21 UC Santa Barbara dropped its final matchup of the weekend Sunday afternoon to host Cal State Fullerton 10-9 in extra innings. Broc Mortensen gave his team a chance tying the game in the ninth on a two-run home run, his second of the game, but CSUF would score in the bottom of the 10th to take game four. The Titans and Gauchos split the series giving both teams a 2-2 start to the conference season.
Mortensen finished the day going 3-for-4 with the two homers, a double, and five RBI. He notched an eight-hit weekend with three homers and nine RBI.
The Gauchos got it going in the top of the second inning with Jordan Sprinkle collecting a lead-off double before getting sent home on an RBI single from Christian Kirtley.
The Titans would answer quickly in the bottom half of the inning collecting two runs of their own to the take the lead 2-1. Back and forth it went with the Gauchos regaining the lead in the top of the third on the first home run of the day for Mortensen, a two-run bomb that made it 3-2.
Another came in the fifth with Mortensen scoring on an RBI double from Zach Rodriguez to extend the lead 4-2, but once again the Titans responded with two runs of their own in the bottom half to tie it.
In the seventh, UCSB put three runs on the board with Jason Willow, Cole Cummings, Marcos Castanon, and Mortensen posting four consecutive doubles to regain the lead for the last time 7-4. Like clockwork, the Titans rebutted with another five runs in the bottom half.
Down 9-7 in the ninth, the Gauchos rose to the occasion with their backs against the wall. Cummings led off with a lead-off walk and Mortensen stepped to the plate and crushed a game-tying two run blast to force extra innings.
Unfortunately for the visiting Gauchos, the home team would walk it off in the bottom of the tenth.
Cummings, Castanon, Rodriguez, Steele Ledford joined Mortensen with multi-hit games.
Six different Gaucho pitchers took the mound in the series finale with Rodney Boone earning the start and tossing five innings of work, and Conner Dand finishing the game taking the loss.
