Gauchos sweep UCSD to move to 20-0 at home and increase Big West lead

UC SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - It was Sunday fun-day for the UC Santa Barbara Baseball team on Cinco de Mayo as the Gauchos romped to a 12-3 win over UC San Diego, completing a third consecutive season sweep of the Tritons. Tyler Bremner dealt seven innings of two-run ball, racking up eight strikeouts, while Ivan Brethowr and Jonathan Mendez powered the offense with a home run each. Jonah Sebring and Nick Oakley added multi-RBI performances as well.

The Gauchos improve to 20-0 at home and 31-12 overall.

UCSB leads the Big West at 17-4, two games ahead of UC Irvine.

FROM HEAD COACH ANDREW CHECKETTS
"Great effort, good start on the mound by Bremner and a relentless approach offensively, six two strike hits, just did an excellent job up and down the lineup against good pitching," Checketts said. "(Bremner) had a good heater going, especially that second time through the order, he dialed it up a notch. I used to always say that about (Shane) Bieber, he could smell a win, he could smell it and go for it. Some guys get defensive and try not to screw it up, but once we got the lead he could smell the win and he put his foot on the gas."

HOW IT HAPPENED
Bremner did surrender a run in the first after allowing the first two Triton hitters to reach, but after those two, he started mowing down hitters, retiring the next 19 men he faced in order.

In the bottom of the second, the Gaucho offense gave Bremner that whiff of a win he needed, putting four runs on the board. After a hit batter and a walk, Brethowr made the most of a break in the wind, which was blowing in from left field most of the afternoon. The big righty came to bat during a moment of calm though, and he blasted his 10th home run of the season over the net behind the left-field wall, putting the Gauchos up, 3-1. The Santa Barbara rally did not end there, as a Brendan Durfee single, a second hit batter, and an Aaron Parker single made it 4-1 before the inning ended.

A fourth-inning wild pitch gave the Gauchos their fifth run of the day, with Parker scampering home on the play, then a monster sixth inning put the result beyond any doubt. Brethowr and Durfee singled to lead off the frame, then Jessada Brown laid down an excellent sacrifice bunt to move them over. Parker was intentionally walked to bring up Oakley, who knocked a two-run single into center field. Sebring followed him with a bases-clearing triple to the wall in right center, making it 9-1. Mendez drove in Sebring with a sacrifice fly to bring up double digits for the home team.

UC San Diego got a run back in the seventh with a solo home run, breaking Bremner's long perfect streak, but the Gauchos' sophomore retired the next two hitters to end the inning and his afternoon after seven strong frames. Reed Moring worked around a couple walks in the eighth, and Santa Barbara's offense tacked on more runs in their half of the inning. Sebring walked then stole second to start the frame before Mendez rode the wind for an opposite field, two-run home run.

Three ninth-inning singles gave the Tritons a third run, but Moring ended the game with a backwards K, insuring that one tally would be nothing more than consolation.

BY THE NUMBERS
Since returning to the starting rotation four weekends ago, Tyler Bremner has made quality starts (six or more innings allowing three or fewer runs) in each of his four appearances, never allowing more than two runs or five hits. Sunday was his second consecutive outing allowing just two hits.
LeTrey McCollum made just his second start since April 5 on Sunday and went 2-for-4 at the plate, his first multi-hit game since March 3.
With their weekend sweep and some help elsewhere, the Gauchos have a two-game lead atop The Big West, the first time they have finished a weekend atop the conference since March 17.

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will round out this homestand on Tuesday, May 7 at 4:35 p.m. against Pepperdine. Tuesday will be the second-to-last Isla Vista Community Night of the season, with Santa Barbara wearing their "SB Connect" jerseys and welcoming local community organizations to the ballpark.

(Article courtesy of UCSB Athletics)