RIVERSIDE, Calif. — The UC Santa Barbara Baseball team (24-10, 10-8 Big West) fended off a late rally from UC Riverside (12-22, 3-15 Big West) to complete their three-game sweep of the Highlanders with a 5-3 victory on Sunday. Jackson Flora kept UCR scoreless through the first three innings on the mound, and Nathan Aceves got the Gauchos out of a jam in the ninth to earn the save. Jonathan Mendez had another big day at the plate, going 3-for-5 with an RBI, while Rowan Kelly drove in two runs with his one hit on the day.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
For the first time on the weekend, Santa Barbara did not get on the scoreboard in the first inning, but they were the first team to score. Xavier Esquer led off the top of the third with a double to left, and LeTrey McCollum's base hit up the middle two pitches later brought him home for a 1-0 Gaucho lead.
 
Santa Barbara extended their advantage in the top of the sixth, with Cole Kosciusko leading off the inning with a hit. Mendez recorded a hit on the next pitch, then Nate Vargas worked a four-pitch walk to load the bases. Kelly drove an 0-1 pitch back up the middle for a single, scoring both Kosciusko and Mendez and making the score 3-0 in favor of the visitors.
 
The way Flora was pitching, three runs looked like it would be plenty for the Gauchos on Sunday, as the righty had held the Highlanders off the board all day to that point. He faced the minimum in the first with the help of a double play, then struck out a pair to strand a one-out single in the second. In the third, he worked around another one-out single, picking the runner off at first base to get through the inning facing the minimum. He repeated the trick in the fourth, this time thanks to Vargas catching a Highlander stealing to wipe away a lead-off hit batter. Flora picked up two more punchouts in the fifth, then delivered a shutdown bottom of the sixth, allowing just a one-out walk. In the seventh, he retired the side on just seven pitches.
 
UCR finally got to Flora in the bottom of the eighth, the sophomore getting pipped for a run after a single, double and wild pitch on a walk. That ended his afternoon, with Cole Tryba coming in to relieve him. Flora's left-handed classmate fired back-to-back strikeouts then, after an intentional walk loaded the bases, got the final out on a grounder to shortstop.
 
In the top of the ninth, the Gaucho offense picked up some valuable insurance runs, with a Reiss Calvin single and Nolan Farley walk getting things going. A wild pitch moved them each up a base, then Esquer drove home Calvin with a sacrifice fly. McCollum got on base thanks to an error, then Kosciusko was intentionally walked to load the bases. That move did not work out as well for the Highlanders as it had for the Gauchos half an inning earlier, as Mendez punched a single through the left side of the infield to plate Farley and make it 5-1.
 
That four-run cushion proved necessary, as the bottom of the ninth was hardly as straightforward as the box score would indicate. Three straight singles loaded the bases, and a passed ball allowed the lead runner to come home. That was the end of Tryba's day on the bump, with Aceves told to put out the fire. He inherited a 2-1 count but finished the at-bat with a strikeout, the first out of the inning. Santa Barbara then traded a run for out number two, a lineout to center field that allowed another runner to score, cutting the Gaucho lead to 5-3. Aceves put an end to things immediately afterwards, issuing his second strikeout of the afternoon to finish off the game.
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• For Aceves, Sunday's save was his second of the season. It accompanies the win against Pepperdine on his ledger for the week, making him the first Gaucho to win the mid-week game and record a save on the following weekend since himself on March 4 and 8, when he earned the win over USC and saved the Gauchos' 11-9 win over CSUN.
• For Mendez, Sunday was a third straight multi-hit game and his second three-hit outing on the weekend. Over the three games, the Gaucho shortstop hit .571/.625/.929 with two doubles, a home run and eight RBIs. He now has a team-high 21 extra-base hits on the season.
• McCollum continued his on-base streak with another hit on Sunday, making it 30 consecutive games in which he has reached safely. Over that stretch — which covers all but the first four games of the season — he is hitting .380/.460/.570.

 
UP NEXT
The Gauchos will stay in Riverside for their next game, taking on California Baptist on Monday, April 14 at James W. Totman Stadium. First pitch against the Lancers is set for 5 p.m. and all the action will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Live stats and an audio broadcast of the game will also be available through ucsbgauchos.com.