SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (April 14, 2023) — Christian Kirtley is swinging one of the hottest bats in the nation this week. The Gaucho left fielder hit two home runs and a double on Friday night in the first game of a three-game series between UC Santa Barbara (21-10, 6-4 Big West) and UC Irvine (20-10, 6-7 Big West). Ultimately, an Anteater rally in the middle innings would give the visitors the win, 5-4.

HOW IT HAPPENED
After crushing a pair of home runs, including a walk-off, against San Jose State earlier in the week, Kirtley wasted no time leaving the yard Friday night, taking a 3-2 pitch out to straightaway center field in the bottom of the first inning. The Gauchos' good start continued in the second, as Matt Ager looked set to turn in yet another stellar performance on the mound. The sophomore righty had gotten out of the top of the first with a breathtaking play, snagging a 106 mile per hour line drive out of the air, then throwing to first to double off the runner. He sat down the Anteaters in order in the top of the second.

Ager gave up a run in the top of the third, but went one, two, three in the top of the fourth with two strikeouts. And, in the bottom of the fourth, the Gauchos got their lead back. Kirtley led off the inning with a double, then Jared Sundstrom walked, Aaron Parker drove in Kirtley with a single, and Broc Mortensen brought Sundstrom home from third on a sacrifice fly.

However, in the top of the fifth, a series of unfortunate events helped Irvine tie the game. A leadoff walk, an error, and a catcher's interference call (on what could have been strike three) loaded the bases with one out. A sacrifice fly and a single drove in two runs for the Anteaters, and they added another on a solo home run in the sixth. With runners on first and second, Hudson Barrett came in to get the Gauchos out of the jam, inducing a double play to end the inning.

Santa Barbara's defense was not busier than any other night on Friday — Ager and Barrett combined for nine strikeouts — but many of the plays they had to make were more than routine: Ager's first inning snag, turning the double play, even the error was on a slowly hit, bouncing ball. And, with one exception, the Gaucho defense made those plays. In the top of the ninth, Zander Darby made a great pick at third base to take away a hit.

Between the double play and Darby's ninth inning gem, each team had scored a run, making it 5-4 heading into the bottom of the ninth. The Gauchos held the lion's share of the momentum as well, as after Irvine had made it 5-3 on a seventh inning sacrifice fly, Kirtley had answered with his second homer of the game, a no-doubter to left center in the bottom of the eighth. John Newman, Jr. knocked a one-out single in the bottom of the ninth, but the Gauchos could not bring him around to tie the game.

ON THE STAT SHEET
• In his three games so far this week, Christian Kirtley is batting .500/.643/1.800, with all five of his hits going for extra bases, and four of them being home runs. He now leads The Big West in home runs this season with 10, and has hit five of those homers in the month of April alone
• LeTrey McCollum extended his hitting streak to 18 games Friday night, hitting a single back up the middle in the bottom of the fifth. He also stole second base that inning, his ninth steal of the year
• Because of the error and catcher's interference call in the fifth, only two of the four runs Matt Ager allowed were earned; his final line from Friday reads 5 2/3 innings pitched, four runs (two earned), one walk, and six strikeouts. He currently leads The Big West with 64 punchouts on the season
• Hudson Barrett's three strikeouts on Friday put his season total to 44, up to the eighth-most by any pitcher in the conference as he continues to lead all Big West relievers (and all Big West freshmen not named Tyler Bremner) in Ks this season

UP NEXT
The Gauchos return to Caesar Uyesaka Stadium tomorrow, Saturday, April 15 for game two of the series, with first pitch set for 4:05 p.m. This weekend is Faculty & Staff Appreciation Weekend; UC Santa Barbara Faculty and Staff members receive free admission to any of the games in this series. For fans who cannot make it to the ballpark, the game will be live on ESPN+ with live stats available on ucsbgauchos.com.