Box Score HONOLULU (May 27, 2023) — After falling behind, 9-2, early Saturday night, the UC Santa Barbara Baseball team (35-20, 18-12 Big West) stormed back, eventually tying the game at 11-11, but ultimately fell, 13-11, to Hawai'i (29-20, 18-12 Big West) in the regular season finale.
HOW IT HAPPENED
For the third straight game, the Gauchos took the lead in the first inning. After Zander Darby walked, Ivan Brethowr drove a home run to straightaway center field, his 11th of the season, giving UC Santa Barbara a 2-0 advantage. However, like the first two games in this series, Hawai'i came back and took the lead thanks to some big innings. They scored one in the bottom of the first, then four in the bottom of the third and four more in the bottom of the fourth to take a seven-run lead.
The Gauchos responded in the top of the fifth, scoring four runs of their own to claw back into the ballgame. Jared Sundstrom led off with a single, Darby reached on a fielder's choice with Sundstrom taking third on an error, then Brethowr walked to load the bases. Aaron Parker sparked the rally, knocking an RBI single through the left side of the Rainbow Warrior infield to score Sundstrom. With the bases still loaded, LeTrey McCollum barely missed a grand slam, hitting a double off the top of the right field wall, scoring two more runs. Broc Mortensen pinch-hit for Jessada Brown and drove in the fourth run of the inning with a sacrifice fly.
The action heated up in the sixth inning, beginning with Santa Barbara making it a one-run game in the top half of the inning. Corey Nunez earned a walk and Darby was hit by a pitch, then Christian Kirtley drove them both home with a double, making it 9-8 Hawai'i. However, the hosts would get both of those runs back in the bottom of the inning with help from a controversial call. With a runner on first and one out, the Hawai'i batter hit a dribbler down the line, reaching on a throwing error by the Gaucho pitcher. The throw rolled into right field, allowing the batter to get all the way to third as the runner on first scored. However, replays suggested that the ball may have been fouled off before bouncing back fair. But the call was fair ball, and Hawai'i would bunt that second run in from third before the inning ended, making it 11-8, Rainbow Warriors.
The drama was not done there, as the Gauchos tied the game with a three-run eighth inning. A single and two hit batters loaded the bases for McCollum, who drove in one run with a hustle single, beating the first baseman to the bag after hitting a high chopper down the line. With the bags still full, Mortensen singled down the right field line, driving in two more runs and tying the game. Sam Whiting struck out the side in the bottom half of the inning, but the Santa Barbara offense did not put up any more runs in the top of the ninth. A two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth walked off the game for Hawai'i.
ON THE STAT SHEET
• By homering in Saturday's regular season finale, Ivan Brethowr bookended his first season in Santa Barbara with home runs, having hit his first long ball as a Gaucho in the season opener back on February 17.
• Sam Whiting was nearly flawless in his two innings of relief on Saturday, not allowing a hit and issuing just one walk, while striking out four.
• Broc Mortensen drove in three runs in just two at-bats after pinch hitting in the fifth inning; LeTrey McCollum also collected three RBI on the night, doing so with a 3-for-5 game at the plate.
• Four Gauchos had multi-hit games on Saturday, with Jared Sundstrom, Aaron Parker, and Nick Oakley (two each) joining McCollum.
UP NEXT
UC Santa Barbara learns whether they will receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament on Monday, May 29 during the NCAA Selection Show, which begins at 9 a.m. Pacific. The selection show will be broadcast on ESPN2.
