SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — UC Santa Barbara Baseball's ace pitcher,
Jackson Flora, twirled another absolute gem Friday evening, but he did not feature in the decision as the Gauchos (14-5, 4-3 Big West) failed to win one of his starts for the first time all season. Two ninth-inning runs were enough to give the visiting Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors (11-9, 2-5 Big West) the victory by a score of 2-1.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After carrying a perfect game into the fifth and a no-hitter into the sixth as part of an 11-strikeout performance that landed him on Baseball America's National Team of the Week last Friday, Flora one-upped himself this Friday, throwing seven shutout innings of one-hit ball, striking out 12 to match his career best.
The right-hander's first inning was a statement of intent as only one of the 10 pitches he threw missed the zone. He racked up a pair of K's in the process, then struck out two more Warriors to get around a leadoff, full-count walk in the second. Flora was perfect in the third and fourth, striking out the side in the latter of those two frames. He allowed his only other walk of the night in the fifth, also on a full count. The Gaucho defense handled things though, with
Nick Husovsky leaping to corral a bouncing ball at first base before tossing over to his pitcher for the third out of the inning.
Some more heads-up baseball kept the sixth inning clean, with
Nate Vargas the star this time. After an unlucky bounce led to an infield single, the only hit Flora allowed all night, Hawai'i attempted to bunt that runner into scoring position, only to bunt the ball straight down onto the plate. While the Warriors' batter waited for the umpire to call fair or foul, Vargas did not hesitate, grabbing the ball before it could spin off the plate into foul ground, throwing to
Jonathan Mendez at second for the force out there. Mendez completed the double play, and Flora fired strikeout number 10 to end the inning. He was perfect again in the seventh, ending his night with K number 12, reaching the dozen mark for the first time since May 4, 2025, when he did so against Cal State Fullerton.
While Flora cruised, Hawai'i starting pitcher Isaiah Magdaleno just about matched him as the pitching matchup delivered the duel it had promised on paper. In 2025, Magdaleno worked 7 2/3 scoreless innings across three games against the Gauchos, allowing just one hit and striking out 10. On Friday night, he limited Santa Barbara to one run on three hits and three walks, with six strikeouts in eight innings. The Gaucho offense reached third base just twice all evening, though with Flora dominant on the mound, it looked like capitalizing just once would be enough.
In the third inning,
William Vasseur was hit by a pitch to keep the Santa Barbara bats alive after a double play had wiped away a leadoff single.
Cole Kosciusko then really put a charge into the offense with his two-out single underneath the diving first baseman's glove, getting Gauchos on the corners, and a wild pitch allowed Vasseur to score the first run of the game.
Santa Barbara stranded a man on second with one out in the bottom of the sixth, but their biggest threat to score more came in the seventh, when
Corey Nunez walked, stole second and advanced to third on Vasseur's sacrifice bunt. Kosciusko was intentionally walked but was then thrown out trying to steal second, while Nunez was held at third. That ended the rally.
Still,
Cole Tryba took over for Flora on the mound to start the eighth and picked up where the righty had left off. He took just four pitches to get two outs, then punctuated the inning with a K.
Things were less straightforward in the ninth. A one-out single and walk put the go-ahead run aboard, and a less-than-smooth pick-off play at second led to a throw towards third that sailed into the Gaucho dugout. The ball going out of play awarded both Hawai'i baserunners an extra 90 feet, scoring the tying run and putting the go-ahead run on third, all still with just one out. An RBI single gave the visitors the lead and while Vargas did catch a Warrior trying to steal third to prevent any further damage, those two runs would be enough. Santa Barbara went down in order in the bottom of the ninth.
UP NEXT
The Gauchos return to action on Saturday, March 21, looking to snap what is their first three-game losing streak in a calendar year.
Nathan Aceves will take the mound for Santa Barbara in the second game of this three-game series, opposed by Hekili Robello for Hawai'i. First pitch is set for 3:05 p.m. from Caesar Uyesaka Stadium. Tickets are on sale now at ucsbgauchos.com/tickets.
