LA JOLLA, Calif. (April 23, 2023) — One of the nation's best home run hitting teams, UC Santa Barbara (25-12, 10-5 Big West) was back at it on Sunday afternoon, blasting five long balls to beat UC San Diego (22-15, 11-7 Big West) and complete a three-game sweep, 11-5. Broc Mortensen continued his pursuit of the Gauchos' career home run record, Aaron Parker went yard in back-to-back at-bats, Jared Sundstrom launched possibly the longest home run in Triton Ballpark history, and Corey Nunez hit his second long ball in as many games.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Like they did on Saturday, the Gauchos got on the board quickly, hitting their first home run of the day just three batters into the game. After Sundstrom reached on a fielder's choice, Mortensen hit career home run number 40 to make it 2-0 Santa Barbara. The Gauchos tallied a couple hits but no runs in the third, before erupting for four in the top of the third. After Ivan Brethowr reached base the hard way, getting hit by a pitch to lead off the frame, Parker treated him to a comfortable trot around the bases, hitting his first home run of the day out to left center, doubling the Gaucho advantage. After LeTrey McCollum reached on a bunt single, Nunez's line drive single snuck under the left fielder's glove, allowing McCollum to come around and score. Nunez took second, and would come home on a single from Sundstrom before the inning ended.

UC San Diego got two of those runs back in the bottom of the third, however, as they finally got to JD Callahan. The Gaucho righty had stranded Triton runners in the first and second, but a walk and a pair of two-out hits plated two runs for the home team. Callahan worked a perfect fourth inning before his day was done.

Thanks to his catcher, Callahan finished his outing with the Gauchos up 7-2, as Parker had hit his second home run in as many innings in the top of the fourth, to nearly the same spot in left center, just a little deeper than the first, with the ball rolling all the way to the road behind the outfield fence. Santa Barbara added another run in the top of the fifth, on possibly the longest home run ever hit at Triton Ballpark. On the first pitch following a pitching change, Sundstrom crushed a towering fly ball, hitting the light rail tracks behind left field, which are about 50 feet beyond the fence and elevated about two stories above the ground. The home run, which bounced off of a passing trolley, traveled an estimated 470 feet.

Reed Moring took the mound for the bottom of the fifth, allowing a run on a sacrifice fly, but also leaving the bases loaded to prevent any further damage. He then worked a perfect sixth inning, including a strikeout, and worked around a one-out double in the seventh.

The scoring resumed for both teams in the eighth inning, starting with a two-run frame for Santa Barbara. After Christian Kirtley earned a lead-off walk, Brethowr drove him home with a double, then Jonah Sebring singled into left field to bring home Brethowr and make it 10-3, Gauchos. The Tritons got a run of their own in the bottom of the inning, but Nunez got that run back on the first pitch of the ninth. Santa Barbara's shortstop, who had only hit his first career homer a day earlier, launched career long ball number two over the fence in right center field.

Moring was back on the mound in the bottom of the ninth, inducing a pop-up for the first out, but that was his last batter of the day. Frank Camarillo came in and faced three Tritons, surrendering a run, then Carter Benbrook took over to record the final two outs of Santa Barbara's 11-5 win.

ON THE STAT SHEET
• With an estimated distance of 470 feet, Jared Sundstrom's Big West-leading 12th home run of the season is also (unofficially) the longest by a Gaucho this season, beating out Ivan Brethowr's estimated 460-foot moonshot from the March 17 game against Cal State Bakersfield. Sundstrom owns the longest confirmed distance on a home run this season as well, his 453-foot blast to dead center on March 26 against CSUN.
• Aaron Parker recorded the second multi-homer game of his career on Sunday, the tenth multi-homer game by a Gaucho this season. Parker is one of three hitters with two or more such games in 2023, joining Jared Sundstrom (3) and Christian Kirtley (2). Parker also joins Sundstrom as the only Gauchos to hit home runs in consecutive at-bats this year.
• Sunday was JD Callahan's second start of the week, after he pitched 6 1/3 innings at Pepperdine on Tuesday. He worked four innings on Sunday, allowing three runs on four hits and a pair of walks, with seven strikeouts. In total, Callahan pitched 10 1/3 innings, allowing five runs on nine hits and three walks, striking out eleven in the span of five days.
• With his home run in the first inning on Sunday, Broc Mortensen became one of just three players to hit 40 home runs in a Gaucho uniform. He is now two away from tying the program's career home run record, set by Matt Wilkerson, from 2002-2005.

UP NEXT
UC Santa Barbara will return home to Caesar Uyesaka Stadium for their next series, welcoming UC Davis to town for a three-game set next weekend, April 28-30. First pitch times are set for 5:05 p.m. Friday, 4:05 p.m. Saturday, and 1:05 p.m. Sunday. As a reminder, children ages 12 and under receive free admission to all Saturday and Sunday home games this baseball season. For fans who cannot make it to the ballpark, all three games will be live on ESPN+ with live stats available on ucsbgauchos.com.