SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (March 9, 2023) — Aaron Parker continued to drive in runs, and Hudson Barrett held his nerve to work out of a ninth-inning jam, earning UC Santa Barbara Baseball (9-3) a 2-1 win over Seton Hall (4-7) Thursday afternoon. Parker's seventh-inning double brought both Gaucho runs to the plate (with help from a bobbled relay), then Barrett escaped a second-and-third, no-outs jam in the bottom of the ninth to complete a comeback win.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The game was a pitchers' duel the whole way through, with neither offense breaking through in the early innings. On the mound for Santa Barbara, Mike Gutierrez put together his finest outing of the season, working seven innings and allowing just one run. The lefty sat the Pirates down in order in the first, then stranded a runner on second in the second and third. A one-two-three fourth inning and a strikeout to start the fifth gave Gutierrez six straight outs, but then he got into trouble, giving up a solo home run, then allowed Pirates to reach first and second on an infield single and his lone walk of the evening. A sixth strikeout got him out of the fifth. Gutierrez was back in control for the sixth and seventh innings, striking out three more Pirates in the two frames, and wiping out the single he allowed in the sixth by picking off the runner.

While at least one Gaucho hitter reached base in every inning but the fifth, it took them until the seventh to finally put runs on the board. Santa Barbara had runners in scoring position with less than two outs in three different innings before scoring, but finally broke through thanks to their leading run producer, Aaron Parker. The sophomore catcher came to the plate with two outs and runners on first and second in the seventh inning and drove his second double of the night to the right-center gap. Corey Nunez came home around to score, and after initially stopping at third, John Newman, Jr. scampered home after the Seton Hall second baseman fumbled the relay throw in from the outfield.

Nick Welch took over on the mound for the eighth inning and worked a clean frame, striking out two Pirates before handing the ball over to Sam Whiting for the ninth. Unfortunately, Whiting's outing was not as clean, as he walked the lead-off man and hit the next before being replaced by Hudson Barrett. The freshman's save bid got off to a bad start, with the Seton Hall baserunners advancing to second and third on a passed ball. But Barrett got one out via the strikeout, then got a huge hand from his defense for the second. On a ground ball, second baseman Nick Oakley elected to throw home, cutting down the potential tying run at the plate. A lineout to right field clinched the win for Santa Barbara.

ON THE STAT SHEET
• Thursday night was only the third time Mike Gutierrez worked seven or more innings as a Gaucho; his longest-ever Santa Barbara outing was an eight-inning night at Cal State Bakersfield last May
• Gutierrez's nine strikeouts tie a career high for the junior and are the most in his four starts of 2023
• With his two doubles Thursday night, Aaron Parker takes the team lead in extra-base hits with eight, six of which have come in the last seven days
• John Newman, Jr. became the eighth Gaucho to steal a base this season with his first-inning swipe of second; Santa Barbara is now the first team in The Big West to 20 stolen bases on the year

UP NEXT
Santa Barbara and Seton Hall face a common opponent on Friday: the weather. Rain is in the forecast, and while a game is scheduled to be played at 5:05 p.m., there is a chance it will not take place. Should Friday's game be cancelled, the teams would attempt to play a doubleheader on Saturday. Any schedule updates will be provided on ucsbgauchos.com and the team's social media accounts as they become available.