SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Softball team (1-1) earned a split on day one of the New Mexico State Invitational. After being held scoreless in game one the Gauchos exploded for 10 runs in game two. Underclassmen accounted for seven of the 11 total hits on the day for the Gauchos.
FROM HEAD COACH JO EVANS
"
Grace Luderer threw really well and kept CSU hitters off balance which gave us a chance to win the game," said Evans. "Unfortunately, we couldn't put anything together offensively. I am pleased with the way we bounced back against New Mexico State. We scored in the early and answered back after giving up the lead. We put pressure of their defense and I thought our hitters did a great job of executing our game plan.
Sam Stoll gave us quality innings in mid-relief and
Malaya Johnson re-entered the game and secured the win."
GAME ONE: GAUCHOS 0, RAMS 1
UC Santa Barbara fell narrowly to Colorado State by a score of 1-0 on Friday as they kicked off the 2025 season.
UC Santa Barbara opened the game with a single from
Giselle Mejia, who advanced to second on a throwing error. However, the team was unable to capitalize, leaving one runner on base. In the bottom of the first inning, CSU scored their only run of the game on an RBI single.
In the third inning,
Jazzy Santos reached base after being hit by a pitch, but the inning concluded with a line out, keeping the score at 1-0 in favor of the Rams. The fourth inning saw
Ainsley Waddell contribute with a single. Despite carrying some momentum into the inning the Gauchos were unable to push a run across.
During the sixth inning,
Erin Mendoza reached base on a fielding error, advancing to second on a ground out by Mejia. Despite the promising start, the inning ended without a score. UC Santa Barbara completed the game with three total hits and left five runners on base, while CSU held onto their early lead to defeat the Gauchos.
GAME TWO: GAUCHOS 10, AGGIES, 8
UC Santa Barbara got in the win column as they defeated New Mexico State 10-8 to earn their first victory of the season. The Gaucho bounced back from their previous 1-0 loss to Colorado State earlier in the day. UC Santa Barbara's offensive surge in the fourth inning, scoring eight runs, proved pivotal.
In the first inning, UC Santa Barbara established an early lead with Santos scoring after advancing to third on a wild pitch and being driven home by Mejia. The team concluded the inning with one run scored, setting the tone early in the game.
During the fourth inning, UC Santa Barbara's offense surged with an impressive eight runs. The inning began with
Alexa Sams and
Emily Carr reaching base after being hit by pitches, followed by
Delaina Ma'ae's single. A combination of hits and errors allowed multiple runners to score, including a two-RBI double by Mejia. This significant inning boosted the score to 9-3 in favor of UC Santa Barbara.
In the seventh inning, UC Santa Barbara added another run to their tally when Sams doubled to left center and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Ma'ae. The team solidified their lead with this additional run, bringing the score to 10-5.
Despite the Aggies' efforts in the bottom of the seventh, UC Santa Barbara maintained their lead. New Mexico State scored three runs, but it was not enough to overcome Santa Barbara's advantage.
UP NEXT
UC Santa Barbara is right back at it tomorrow, Feb. 8 as they take on Colorado State and New Mexico State again to conclude their time in Las Cruces. The Gauchos play Colorado State at 10:30 a.m. Pacific time followed by a 3:30 Pacific time first pitch against New Mexico State.
