UCSB baseball’s hot start to season freezes over after sweep by Oregon

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - One week after completing a four-game sweep and riding a six-game winning streak, seventh-ranked UC Santa Barbara baseball has now dropped four straight games.

On Sunday the Gauchos fought valiantly to force extra innings but the bullpen surrendered winning runs to the Ducks once again in a 9-4 defeat in 10 innings.

Redshirt freshman Cory Lewis pitched well into the sixth inning, allowing only six hits and two runs.

The Gauchos then rallied to erase a 4-1 Ducks lead with home runs by Broc Mortensen and Marcos Castanon in the eighth inning. But Oregon put up five runs in the 10th to secure a four-game weekend sweep.

Given the lead or a tie game in the late innings in three of those games, the Gauchos' bullpen faltered and allowed Oregon to score the winning runs.

UCSB will look to rebound during a four-game home series against San Francisco next weekend.