SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (Feb. 12, 2023) – The UC Santa Barbara Softball team (2-2) wrapped up the Central Coast Classic hosted by Cal Poly with two games today against the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks and the University of Nevada Wolf Pack. Following the two games, the Gauchos left San Luis Obispo with a 1-1 record for the day, taking them to 2-2 on the season.

FROM COACH JO EVANS
"Our team came out swinging the bats against North Dakota and picked up where we left off yesterday. We did a great job of being aggressive at the plate. Camryn Snyder threw well and set the tone for our pitching staff today. Malaya Johnson pitched a great game against Nevada. She kept their hitters at bay most of the game and gave us a chance to win. Offensively, we certainly had our chances to win, but couldn't come up with a timely hit in the end. Overall, I'm pleased with how we competed this weekend. Our freshmen stepped up and contributed and we were able to get every player on our roster some valuable playing time." 

GAME 1: GAUCHOS VS FIGHTING HAWKS
UC Santa Barbara hit the field against North Dakota for the first game of the day after the Gauchos took the win yesterday afternoon. They kept that same momentum from yesterday and brought it into today as the Gauchos scored seven runs in the first inning alone.  By the end of five innings, UC Santa Barbara added on four more runs for 11 overall while the Fighting Hawks could only score two, giving UC Santa Barbara their second win of the season. 

Bella Fuentes started her day off strong as she made it across home plate twice while registering four hits. Along with her, Ashley Donaldson finished with two runs of her own while adding on an RBI. Makayla Newsom also finished with the most RBI's for the Gauchos as she brought in two of her teammates. On the mound was Camryn Snyder, who struck out five batters on her way to her first win of the season.

GAME 2: GAUCHOS VS WOLF PACK
The Gauchos had a quick turnaround as they returned to the field to take on the Wolf Pack for the second time this weekend. Nevada was able to put themselves on the board first, grabbing a run in the first inning. However, this didn't stir the Gauchos as they continued pushing on, keeping the Wolf Pack at bay as the game continued on. These teams went three innings until another run was scored and that came for Nevada, putting them up by two heading into the sixth. The Gauchos were able to get a run on the board thanks to freshman Fuentes off a hit from Jazzy Santos, but it wasn't enough to make the comeback. UC Santa Barbara dropped the second game of the day 2-1 to Nevada. 

As mentioned above, Fuentes was the only Gaucho to score a run in this game as she also registered two hits. Her run came off a swing from Santos, who also recorded a second hit in this game as well. On defense, Hannah Damore helped the Gauchos the most with her five putouts while Madelyn McNally had the most assists with three. 

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will play their first series at Campus Diamond beginning Friday, Feb. 17 with a 12 p.m. first pitch. The three-game series will be played against Southern Utah with a double header on Friday and a single game on Saturday. All the games will be streamed on ESPN+ with live stats also available through ucsbgauchos.com.