LA JOLLA, Calif.— Fifteens are wild this weekend for No. 22 UC Santa Barbara baseball as the Gauchos posted two more 15-run wins in their Saturday sweeping of UC San Diego. UCSB took game one 15-10 before run-ruling the Tritons in seven innings for the second time this series in game two, 15-5. UCSB has scored 45 runs through the first three games of the weekend.

Jordan Sprinkle, who was recently named to the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List, added his name to another list in the second game of the day as the shortstop went a perfect 4-for-4 with a walk, four runs, six RBI, a double, and back-to-back home runs. He tied the all-time program record with 12 total bases and is the first Gaucho to hit back-to-back homers since Austin Bush in 2017. It is the first six-RBI game by any Gaucho since Andrew Calica in 2015 and the first multi-home run effort since Thomas Rowan in 2019. 

Game One
Game one of the doubleheader saw Rodney Boone (7-1) come in to earn his conference-best seventh win of the season after tossing six innings of three-run ball. The sophomore southpaw struck out six and only allowed four hits and two walks.

The Gaucho offense got going early as it recorded a season-high 16 hits and once again tied its season high with 15 runs. All nine starters collected a hit and six of those players posted multi-hit efforts. Zach Rodriguez led the way going 3-for-5 with four RBI, a homer, and two runs.

UCSB scratched first in the top of the second with Jason Willow hanging two on the board with a 2 RBI double to left. Gianni Bloom followed with a sac-fly to left to make it 3-0. Quickly the Tritons answered with three straight of their own in the next two innings to tie it 3-3.

From there it was all Gauchos as the visitors scored 11 straight with a four-run fourth, and three runs in both the sixth and seventh innings. Seven different Gauchos notched RBI during the streak including Rodriguez who had an RBI single and a three-run home run.

Up 14-3, UCSB threatened to run-rule to the Tritons for the second-straight game but a four spot in the bottom of the seventh halted the Gauchos' wishes and kept the Tritons alive. UCSD followed with a three-run eighth to cut the lead 14-10. 

A sac-fly from Broc Mortensen in the top of the ninth was the final run to score as the Gauchos took it 15-10.

Game Two
The second edition of the doubleheader saw Sprinkle etch his name in Gaucho lore with his perfect 4-for-4 effort and three of his teammates notched two-plus hits as well. Rodriguez recorded two doubles and three more RBI, while Willow and Mason Eng saw two apiece. 

Chris Troye opened the game tossing two one-hit innings with four strikeouts before turning it over to Cory Lewis (4-1) who picked up his fourth win of the season. Lewis tossed 3.1 innings and allowed five earned. Conner Dand and Clayton Hall finished the game for UCSB finishing the final 1.2 innings unscathed.

The Gauchos got on the scoreboard first once again with Mortesen notching a sac-fly in the top of the first to make it 1-0. The flood gates opened in the top of the third with the Gauchos posting a five spot to extend the lead 6-0. Sprinkle posted an RBI single before seeing Rodriguez notch a bases-clearing 3 RBI double. Willow capped off the effort with an RBI single of his own.

UCSD scratched in the bottom of the inning with a solo home run and found another in the fifth to cut the lead to 7-2.

With one on and one out in the sixth, Sprinkle stepped to the plate and cracked just his second career home run to make it 9-2.

Up 9-5 in the seventh, UCSB needed exactly six runs to give itself a chance to end the game early and that is exactly what the team would get. Kyle Johnson scored the 10^th run on a wild pitch and Eng made it 12-5 with an RBI single.

Sprinkle stepped into the box once again with two on and made Gaucho history with his second-straight home run to give UCSB the 15-5 lead, and eventually the win. 

UCSB will look for the four-game sweep tomorrow.