Big West slide reaches 4 games as UCSB routed by UC Irvine again

UC SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - LeTrey McCollum extended his hit streak to 13 consecutive games on Saturday, a number about as lucky as the UC Santa Barbara Baseball team (15-6, 4-4 Big West) has been this weekend. The No. 21 Gauchos snapped out of their 21-inning scoreless streak early on Saturday but for the second game in a row, things got away from them late, with UC Irvine (16-5, 7-1 Big West) going on to take a 9-3 victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The first inning of Saturday's game was all Gauchos, with starter Jackson Flora retiring the Anteaters in order in the top of the first, including a strikeout. Xavier Esquer was hit by the first pitch of the bottom of the first to get on base, and two productive outs got him over to third. Esquer was then able to score the first run of the game on a wild pitch.

It was not to be plain sailing for Santa Barbara though, as Irvine responded with a single and two-run home run to take the lead in the top of the second. Flora bounced back well afterwards, striking out the next three batters he faced to end the inning. And the Gauchos' offense responded well in the bottom of the frame too. Nate Vargas and McCollum each singled to put runners on the corners with no outs. Even after that turned into runners on the corners with two outs, Nolan Farley came through with his first hit as a Gaucho, a two-RBI double just inside the bag down the third base line to give Santa Barbara their lead back.

The tug-of-war on the scoreboard continued in the top of the third, with a single, wild pitch, sacrifice bunt and infield single plating the tying run while costing Irvine just one out. An error helped keep the inning alive for the Anteaters, and that would end up costing the Gauchos as a two-out double put the visitors back on top, 4-3.

Santa Barbara was not able to punch back in their half of the fourth, and a single, walk and single loaded the bases with just one out for Irvine in the top of the fifth. Another single and a sacrifice fly plated two more runs for UCI, making it 6-3.

AJ Krodel was able to keep the Anteater offense from extending their lead in the top of the fifth, striking out two in the frame, but the Gaucho offense was still unable to mount a response. Santa Barbara had some particularly bad luck in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, despite getting the lead-off runner aboard in all three frames. In the sixth, a double play wiped out a lead-off single, and Irvine's shortstop leapt to snag a line drive for the third out. In the seventh, McCollum led off with his third single of the day and was on his way to second when Ian Fernandez hit a deflected single back up the middle. However, McCollum's path to second base and the Irvine second baseman's path to the slow roller met in a collision between the two players, with the former being called out for interference. In the eighth, Esquer and Cole Kosciusko led off with back-to-back singles and the Gauchos got them to the corners with just one out, but again, there they would stay.

Meanwhile, on the mound, Krodel had managed to slow but not stop the Irvine offense. After his scoreless fifth, Krodel allowed one run on a couple of singles in the sixth, though came back and worked a perfect seventh. A two-out double and a walk in the eighth ended his day, with Nic Peterson entering in relief and getting the final out of the frame. Peterson allowed the first two Anteaters to reach in the ninth, ending his outing, with Elliot Gallegos coming on in relief. Another error did not help Gallegos' cause, with two runs scoring in the frame, only one of which was earned. With Santa Barbara unable to plate any runs in the ninth, the game finished 9-3 in favor of the visitors.

BY THE NUMBERS
LeTrey McCollum's 13-game hit streak is the Gauchos' longest of the season so far, as is his 17-game on-base streak. Over the last 13 games, McCollum has a .434 average.

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will seek to avoid being swept for the first time since the 2023 season as they host the third and final game of their series with the Anteaters on Sunday, March 23 at 1:05 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at ucsbgauchos.com/tickets, and kids in sixth grade or below get in free to all Gaucho home games this season with the Yardi Youth Pass. Visit ucsbgauchos.com to learn more. For fans following from afar, the game will be live on ESPN+ with live stats available through ucsbgauchos.com.

(Courtesy UCSB Athletics)