SANTA BARBARA, Calif - The UC Santa Barbara Softball team got two great pitching performances from Sophomore Malaya Johnson and senior Camryn Snyder on day two of the UC Santa Barbara Tournament II. The Gauchos lost their first game to Lehigh by a slim 2-1 score but bounced back and blanked Utah Tech in a 3-0 win.
GAME ONE: GAUCHOS 1, MOUNTAIN HAWKS 2
The Gauchos were trailing 2-0 in the fourth inning when they got on the board. UC Santa Barbara scored their run thanks to Ainsley Waddell's RBI double. The Gauchos were unable to muster any offense after the fourth inning getting just one base runner on in the final three innings.
Santa Barbara defense held strong not allowing the Mountain Hawks to score again but the Gauchos could not tie or take the lead and fell 2-1.
In addition to her eight strikeouts, Malaya Johnson tossed seven innings, giving up two runs in the loss.
Offensively, the Gauchos were led by freshman Ainsley Waddell, who went 1-for-3 on the day with a double and an RBI.
GAME TWO: GAUCHOS 3, TRAILBLAZERS 0
The Gauchos got on the board and took the lead for good in the third inning. UC Santa Barbara got on the board thanks to Alexa Sams' RBI double with two outs. Sams drove in Waddell to end the deadlock.
The Gauchos then tacked on two runs in the fifth inning. The runs came by way of a two-run home run by Ainsley Waddell. Her second home run in as many days.
Camryn Snyder went the distance for UC Santa Barbara not allowing a run, giving up just one hit and striking out four.
In the batter's box, the Gauchos were paced by freshman Ainsley Waddell, who went 1-for-2 on the day with a home run, a walk and two RBI. Junior Alexa Sams furnished a standout performance at the dish as well, going 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Sophomore Jazzy Santos also contributed for UC Santa Barbara, putting together two hits in four trips to the plate.
GAME NOTES
Johnson fanned eight Mountain Hawk hitters which set a new career-high for her.
UCSB pitchers limited Lehigh to just 2-for-12 (.167) with runners in scoring position.
Snyder tossed a one-hit shutout for the Gauchos. Her first solo-shutout of the season. She was apart of a combined shutout earlier in the year.
The Gauchos out-hit the Trailblazers at an 8-1 clip.
Snyder limited Utah Tech to just 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
Waddell hit her second home run of the weekend and is now tied for the team lead in home runs with Elicia Acosta.
UP NEXT
UC Santa Barbara will wrap up their tournament tomorrow as they play Lehigh at 12:30 p.m. For those unable to attend in person the game will be streamed through ESPN+ with live stats avaliable.
