SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Through two games of baseball, the series between UC Santa Barbara (14-6, 4-4 Big West) and Hawai'i (12-9, 3-5 Big West) — which entered the weekend with the ninth-best and 11^th-best earned run averages in all of college baseball respectively — has delivered on the promise of great pitching. Saturday evening, it was the Gauchos' Nathan Aceves and Rainbow Warriors' Hekili Rebello in the spotlight. Aceves delivered a quality start, pitching 6 2/3 innings while allowing just three runs, striking out eight. But the Santa Barbara bats could not solve Rebello, who held the Gauchos scoreless until the ninth inning, surrendering just one run over 8 1/3 innings in a 3-1 win for the visitors.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Aceves had traffic to manage early on. He got some help taking care of a lead-off walk in the first, with shortstop Jonathan Mendez starting a double play before wrapping up the inning with another groundout. There was more action in the top of the second, when a single and a double put 'Bows on second and third with one out. Another single brought them both home for a 2-0 Hawai'i lead.
 
After getting out of the second with no further damage against him, Aceves settled in. He was perfect in the third with a strikeout, and perfect again in the fourth with two more K's. A two-out walk was all Hawai'i mustered against him in the fifth, and a two-out infield single the only blemish on his sixth. In fact, Aceves struck out the side as part of a run of four consecutive outs by way of the K, the fourth coming to start the seventh.
 
The Gauchos' sophomore starter exited the game only after a two-out hit batsman in the seventh. His performance likely deserved better than for that runner to come around and score on a steal of home, but that is what happened on the night, giving Hawai'i a three-run lead.
 
Normally, three runs is not a horrible number to allow. An outing of six or more innings with three or fewer runs surrendered is deemed a "quality start" not only because of its length, but also its effectiveness. The problem for the Gauchos on Saturday night was that their opponent was having an even higher-quality start.
 
It was not really the case that Santa Barbara failed to capitalize on opportunities to score; the Gauchos brought home 33 percent of their runners in scoring position on the night. The issue was that they only got three runners into scoring position. Rowan Kelly was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on Nick Husovsky's single in the fourth; they were stranded by a flyout and a groundout. William Vasseur doubled in the fifth; he was left stranded by back-to-back strikeouts. Kelly walked with one out in the ninth, took second on a wild pitch and scored on Cole Kosciusko's RBI single, but the very next pitch was a game-ending groundout.
 
UP NEXT
Santa Barbara has one more chance to earn a win this weekend, with the final game of the series to start at 1:05 p.m. on Sunday, March 22 from Caesar Uyesaka Stadium. Kellan Montgomery will take the mound for the Gauchos, opposed by Liam O'Brien for Hawai'i. Tickets are on sale now at ucsbgauchos.com/tickets.