FRESNO, Calif. (March 31, 2023) — Ivan Brethowr crushed a lead-off home run, and Christian Kirtley added a moonshot of his own in the ninth inning Friday night, but UC Santa Barbara Baseball (17-5, 5-1 Big West) could not overcome a disastrous eighth inning against Fresno State (14-10, 7-4 Mountain West), dropping the series opener, 9-3. Kirtley's ninth-inning solo shot was followed by a Jared Sundstrom double as the Gauchos hinted at a remarkable rally, but it was not to be.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Brethowr hammered the second pitch of Friday night's game well over the fence to give Santa Barbara a 1-0 lead, but things quickly went downhill for the Gauchos in the first inning. Experiencing some discomfort after his home run, Brethowr left the game, then Fresno State's lead-off batter hit a home run of their own to tie the game. Three walks and a sacrifice fly put another Bulldog run on the board before the end of the frame.

After trading homers in the first, both teams' starters settled in, with neither team allowing a run in the second or third innings. Santa Barbara's starter, Matt Ager, made it the rest of his outing without letting the Bulldogs score again, working into the sixth inning before his night was done. The sophomore righty struck out six on the evening, including a pair as part of a perfect fourth inning.

Also in the fourth inning, the Gauchos got themselves level, tying the game without recording a hit. Jonah Sebring proved the value of speed, beating the throw to first to break up what could have been an inning-ending double play. Then he stole second and took off for third a few pitches later. The throw down shot past the third baseman, allowing Sebring to scamper home and tie the game.

Unfortunately, Fresno State un-tied the game in the eighth inning. Carter Benbrook, who had relieved Ager with one out in the sixth, had retired six Bulldogs in a row, including the first out of the eighth inning, but then gave up a pair of one-out singles and was replaced by Sam Whiting. Whiting got the second out, but then walked the next two batters and hit another, forcing across two runs and ending his evening. Nick Welch stepped in and issued a walk, then gave up a grand slam before finally getting the Gauchos out of the inning.

With one out in the top of the ninth, Kirtley hit every stitch of a breaking ball, launching it 450-some feet over the scoreboard in left field, but it was only a solo shot, cutting the deficit to six. Sundstrom doubled on the very next pitch, but would be Santa Barbara's final baserunner of the evening.

ON THE STAT SHEET
• Ivan Brethowr's lead-off home run was the first by a Gaucho since Clay Fisher hit one against LMU in February of 2017
• After hitting just one home run in his first 10 games, Christian Kirtley now has four in his last 10 and is tied for the second-most homers on the team with five

UP NEXT
The Gauchos and Bulldogs will play the second game in this three-game series tomorrow, Saturday, April 1, with the first pitch at 3:05 p.m. in Fresno. There will be a live stream of the game, as well as an audio-only broadcast and live stats. Links for all three are available on ucsbgauchos.com.