Box Score SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif.— No. 13 UCSB Baseball (29-10, 18-2) scored eight unanswered runs in game two Saturday evening to seal its first series win at No. 30 Cal Poly's (24-18, 11-6) Baggett Field in 12 years. The Gauchos topped the Mustangs 8-3 to take a commanding lead atop the Big West and pick up their 11th straight conference win.
On the Stat Sheet
- Nick Oakley, who earned a spot in the starting lineup after a clutch performance last night, stayed hot going 3-for-5 with two doubles and three RBI.
- Jason Willow touched home three times and went 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI.
- Gianni Bloom went deep for the second straight game and Blake Klassen continued his hot streak going 2-for-4 with a double and a walk.
- For the second time in this series Kyle Johnson tallied a multi-hit game going 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, and two runs.
- UCSB outhit Cal Poly 13-7 with eight of those hits going for extra bases.
- Mike Gutierrez (6-1) picked up the start and the win tossing 6.1 innings of three-run ball, all of which came early in the game. He struck out five along the way.
- After picking up the win last night, Matt Ager came in to pick up the final five outs tonight and earn his fourth save of the season. He faced the minimum batters and forced a double play when he entered in the eighth with one on.
How It Happened
- After not leading in the entirety of last night's game, Cal Poly scored a single run in each of the first three innings tonight to grab a 3-0 lead. Gutierrez stayed poised and got into a rhythm late in his start.
- Down three-runs the Gauchos got going in the fourth on yet another two-out rally. Nick Vogt sat at third after a one-out triple and with two gone Willow plated the first run on an RBI double. The next batter was Oakley who made it a one-run ball game on an RBI single to right center.
- Down a run UCSB hung a three in the top of the sixth as Jordan Sprinkle came through with his first hit of the series. With two on and one out Sprinkle sent a double off the left center wall to give the Gauchos a 4-3 lead. It would prove to be the game-winning swing. Bryce Willits made it a 5-3 game with a single up the middle to score Sprinkle.
- Cal Poly threatened in the seventh but Bloom converted a back pick to take out the lead runner at second and all but kill the Mustangs' chances.
- Bloom then did damage with the bat in the next inning slamming his second homer of the series to make it 6-3.
- Once again it was Santa Barbara's own Oakley coming through in the top of the ninth doubling down the line against his old high school teammate in Cal Poly's Derek True to plate a pair a extend the Gaucho lead to 8-3.
Next Up
The 13th-ranked Gauchos will look to sweep rival Cal Poly tomorrow afternoon in game three of the series. First pitch is set for 1 PM at Baggett Field.
