SANTA BARBARA, Calif.– After dropping the first game of the day 5-1 to visiting Cal Poly, No. 27 UC Santa Barbara walked it off in game two to end on a high note defeating the Mustangs 2-1 in the 11^th inning. Freshman John Newman Jr. was the hero collecting his first career hit in a huge way.

Game One
Rodney Boone (8-2) took the mound for the Gauchos and earned just his second loss of the season tossing 4.2 innings and allowing five earned while striking out nine. 

UCSB's offense had opportunities but were unable to give him run support leaving 12 runners on base in the game. Cal Poly only found four hits in the contest but was granted 11 free passes on nine walks and two HBP by the Gaucho staff.

Making a strong appearance out of the pen for UCSB was Conner Roberts who retired 11 of the final 12 batters, including the final nine in order, to end the game. He allowed just one walk in 3.2 innings and struck out two.

UCSB got on the board first in the third inning with Gianni Bloom notching a leadoff triple and coming home on an RBI double from Jordan Sprinkle.

Unfortunately, the Mustangs would put up five straight in the next two innings to take control 5-1.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Gauchos had a golden opportunity to cut the lead and even tie the game loading the bases with no outs but could not convert as Cal Poly got out of the inning unscathed. 

Jordan Sprinkle was a bright spot in the first edition of the doubleheader going 2-for-5 with a double and triple but was stranded both times. 

Game Two
The Gaucho staff bounced back in game two of the day holding the Mustangs to just one run on three hits, while stranding 10 runners on the basepaths. The trio of Chris Troye, Cory Lewis, and Carter Benbrook (4-1) struck out 12 batters and aside from a solo homerun in the fifth by Poly's Nick Mariconz, were near perfect.

Troye opened the game striking out the side in the first inning on just 10 pitches, nearly notching the elusive immaculate inning. He would be relieved by Lewis in the second, who had 6 punch-outs in 5.1 innings of work and allowed just two hits and the sole run of the game. In the sixth inning, Benbrook was once again called upon to give his team a chance at victory. 

The electric southpaw gave up just one hit in 4.1 innings and did not waver through extra innings retiring the last four straight.

Mariconz's solo shot in the fifth gave Cal Poly the lead in the fifth inning, but UCSB's answer came just one inning later as the Gauchos loaded the bases with one out. Jason Willow got the necessary run on a sac-fly, but unfortunately that would conclude his team's scoring efforts for the inning. 

UCSB threatened again in the seventh in a play that carried nearly as much excitement as the walk-off. With McClain O'Connor, who made his return to the field today, sitting on first, Cole Cummings took a ball deep to left field for a double. O'Connor sprinted from first to home, sliding head-first into the plate but was tagged out in a bang-bang play from the Mustangs to keep the tie in order. 

In the bottom on the 11^th, Bryce Willits drew a lead-off walk and Willow advanced him on a sac-bunt. Newman Jr. stepped to the plate in just his third career at bat and drove a ball right up the middle splitting the infielders and driving Willits home for the walk-off.

UCSB will look for the series win in tomorrow's finale at 1 PM.