SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (April 16, 2023) — After missing two weeks, Mike Gutierrez returned to the mound for the UC Santa Barbara Baseball team (22-11, 7-5 Big West) on Sunday, working the first 2 2/3 innings of the final game in the Gauchos' series against UC Irvine (21-11, 7-8 Big West). Gutierrez struck out two Anteaters but allowed two earned runs, and was saddled with the loss in Santa Barbara's 13-1 defeat.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The good news for the Gauchos on Sunday was not only that Gutierrez was back healthy, but that he looked pretty much, if not entirely himself on the mound, especially in the first two innings. He struck out the first batter he faced, then induced a double play to erase a one-out single and end the first inning. In the second, he worked around a lead-off single, and was one out away from doing the same in the third. A pair of two-out singles brought home a run for Irvine and ended Gutierrez's afternoon after 52 pitches.

Reed Moring relieved the lefty, but got into trouble before getting out of the third, with a hit batter loading the bases and a wild pitch bringing in the run from third. Unfortunately, things would only get more out of hand from there. Irvine tallied four more runs in the top of the fifth, beginning with a two-run homer. Later in the frame, Hudson Barrett relieved Moring and looked to have gotten out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam with a double play, but on review, the runner was safe at first, scoring another run for the visitors. They would add a fourth in the frame, making it 6-0.

But the Gauchos had come back from a seven-run deficit less than 24 hours prior, so by no means were they out of the game. In the bottom of the sixth, John Newman, Jr. provided a spark. His pinch-hit double down the right field line scored Broc Mortensen from second to get Santa Barbara on the board. However, unlike Saturday night, the spark did not catch, despite plenty of "almost" moments for the Gauchos.

In the bottom of the first, Christian Kirtley almost hit his 11th home run of the season, but it went just foul down the left field line. In the bottom of the fourth, down just two runs, Santa Barbara had the bases loaded with just one out, but left all three runners stranded. In total, the Gauchos got nine runners into scoring position on Sunday.

Irvine scored one run in the seventh on a solo home run, then added three in the eighth and three more in the ninth to finish off their 13-1 win.

ON THE STAT SHEET
• LeTrey McCollum extended his hit streak to 20 games on Sunday
• Hudson Barrett was not charged with a run through his 1 2/3 innings of work on Sunday; the freshman has only allowed three runs all season, and holds an ERA of 0.83
• Aaron Parker led the Gauchos at the plate Sunday afternoon, going 3-for-4

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will hit the road this week, with their next game a Tuesday afternoon meeting with Pepperdine in Malibu. First pitch against the Waves is set for 3 p.m. on Tuesday, April 18, with a live stream, audio broadcast, and live stats all linked on ucsbgauchos.com.