LONG BEACH, Calif. — No. 25 UC Santa Barbara split its Saturday road doubleheader with Long Beach State taking game one 6-0 before dropping game two 5-4. Another solid outing for Rodney Boone and another big moment for Jordan Sprinkle captured the team's first win of the series.

Game One
Boone (8-1) delivered the game one win for the Gauchos tossing six scoreless innings and picking up his conference-best eighth win. He struck out 10 batters and only allowed four hits and three walks. The sophomore now boasts a 1.88 ERA and has gone unscathed in five different starts.

Closing out the final three innings and picking his second save of the year was Carter Benbrook, who has been a reliable option out of the bullpen all season. Benbrook allowed just two hits and a walk, while striking out four.

It was a quiet game on the offensive end with both teams combining for just 13 hits, but in the seventh inning one swing of the bat turned a 0-0 tie into a 4-0 lead for UCSB. Singles by Bryce Willits and Kyle Johnson, and a HBP taken by Gianni Bloom left the bases-loaded for one of the hottest bats in the conference, Jordan Sprinkle.

The Gaucho shortstop wasted no time crushing his first career grand slam over the left field wall to give his team the lead.

Sprinkle struck again in the top of the ninth posting an RBI double to left center that scored Bloom to make it 5-0 in favor of the visitor. Sprinkle finished the game going 2-for-5 with five RBI and two runs.

The final run scored on an RBI groundout from Broc Mortensen, giving UCSB the win 6-0. 

Game Two
UCSB once again jumped out to an early lead, but after giving up a three-spot in the seventh inning could not regain the lead. The Gauchos had a runner in scoring position with two outs in the ninth, but Long Beach State was able to get out of the jam and secure the win.

The first run came in the top of the second inning with Mortensen reaching on an HBP and then finding home plate thanks to an RBI single from Willits.

After seeing The Beach take the lead in the fourth 2-1, UCSB was quick to respond in its next trip up to bat tying the game at 2-2. Cole Cummings pushed a single through the left that was good enough to score Mason Eng.

A late lead came in the top of the seventh with Cummings collecting an RBI double that scored Christian Kirtley, but a three-run seventh for the Beach would give the home team the lead once again 5-3.

A final effort was made in the top of the eighth with Mortensen crushing an opposite-field home run on the first pitch of the inning to trim the lead to 5-4. Two Gauchos would walk on back-to-back appearances, giving them a runner in scoring position, but UCSB could not convert as the next two batters popped up to short.

UCSB will look to even the series in tomorrow's finale, which will be aired live on ESPNU.