SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— No. 25 UC Santa Barbara combined great hitting and great pitching Saturday to sweep its doubleheader with CSUN and take the series on day two of the weekend. Rodney Boone nearly rewrote the UCSB record book in game one as the Gauchos run-ruled the Matadors 11-1 in an eight inning walk-off. Game two saw UCSB score eight runs in the first two innings on its way to an 11-3 win. 

UCSB improves to 21-8 overall with a 11-3 Big West mark while CSUN falls to 5-10 in both categories.

Game One
The first edition of the doubleheader saw Rodney Boone (6-1) earn his sixth win of the season with another incredible performance on the mound. The sophomore collected 14 strikeouts, becoming the first Gaucho to reach that mark since Mario Holland tied the all-time record with 16 in the 2010. The last Gaucho to notch a 14-strikeout game was Barry Zito in the 1997 season. 

Boone tossed 6.2 innings and allowed just one run on two hits. After allowing the first two batters to reach in the first, the southpaw struck out eight straight batters and retired 12 in a row. 

Nick Welch came to his relief getting the final four outs in what was just the freshman's second career appearance. He only allowed one hit and a walk. 

Gianni Bloom, last night's walk-off hero, got things started for the Gauchos in the third with his first homer of the year, a lead-off solo shot over the right field wall. The catcher would finish the game going 1-for-2 with a walk, an HBP, a run, and an RBI.

From there the flood gates opened as UCSB posted three runs in the fourth, sixth, and eighth, and added a single run in the fifth as well.

Jason Willow got it started in the fourth with a sac-fly to center and Steele Ledford was next to bat notching an RBI single up the middle to score Broc Mortensen. Cole Cummings capped off the inning getting plunked with the bases-loaded to make it 4-0.

Zach Rodriguez led off the bottom of the fifth crushing his second home run of the weekend over the left field wall to extend the lead 5-0.

Three more came in the sixth with Jordan Sprinkle staying hot and hitting an RBI single through the right side. The next man up was Christian Kirtley who belted his second homer of the year over the left field wall, a two-run shot that gave his team an 8-0 lead.

The lone run of the game for CSUN came in the top of the seventh on a home run by Jose Ruiz, the second and final hit given up by Boone.

Up 8-1 in the bottom of the eight, the home team saw an opportunity to end early and did. Kirtley notched a bases-loaded sac-fly with no outs to go up 9-1. Rodriguez was the next to the plate giving the Gauchos their second-straight walk-off win with a 2 RBI single, as Sprinkle sprinted around third to touch home and end the game. 

Both Kirtley and Rodriguez would finish with a homer and three RBI. Sprinkle posted a potent 3-for-5 line with two runs and the Gauchos out-hit the Matadors for the first time in the series 12-3. Nine different Gauchos would collect hits.

Game Two
Game two was all Gauchos from the jump as they posted two runs in the first inning before seeing its highest single inning scoring effort of the year with a seven-run second. 

Chris Troye opened the game on the mound for UCSB getting out of a tough inning unscathed before freshman Cory Lewis came in to pitch most of the contest. Lewis earned his third win tossing 6.1 innings of work and only allowing three runs on three hits while striking out a career-high 11 batters.

Hayden Hattenbach was the final hurler retiring all five batters he faced, three of which went down by way of the K. 

Mortensen gave UCSB the early lead as he guided a ball over the right field wall with a man on to make it 2-0 in the first. He now has a conference leading seven knocks on the year.

Bryce Willits and Mason Eng both posted RBI doubles in the second inning, with Kirtley and Willow each notching RBI singles, and Sprinkle collecting a sac-fly in what was a game-breaking inning for the Gauchos. UCSB posted five total hits and capitalized on a Matador error as well to hang the seven on the board.

Up 9-0, UCSB got another from Rodriguez on an RBI single in the fourth inning to put another possible run-rule in play.

Fortunately for CSUN, its bats would get them a trio of runs in the sixth and seventh to shave the lead down to 10-3.

After flirting with the long ball all day, and squaring up a medley of hard-hit balls, Willow finally broke through in the eighth with a solo shot to left-center that left yard in one of the deeper parts of the park. His bomb would be the final run scored as UCSB took the game 11-3.

Mortensen and Willow posted identical lines going 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and a home run, while Eng went 2-for-4 with a run and a double.

UCSB will look for the series sweep in Sunday's finale.