The tarp was rolled out onto the field at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium after lightning suspended play on Friday afternoon. The game will be resumed today at 1 p.m., with just one game to follow instead of the regularly scheduled doubleheader.
A lightning bolt off the bat of USF’s Kyle Knell was followed by one in the sky just moments later, prompting officials to suspend Friday’s baseball game at UCSB’s Caesar Uyesaka Stadium.
The Gauchos led 2-1 after Knell’s home run when play was halted with no outs in the top of the fifth inning. The game will be resumed today at 1 p.m., with just one game to follow instead of the regularly scheduled doubleheader. They will also play a single game Sunday at 1 p.m.
UCSB (5-4) took the lead in the second inning when Bryce Willits hit a triple to right-centerfield and trotted home when Zach Rodriguez hit an opposite-field home run to right field.
The Gauchos also had two hits in both the first and fourth innings but failed to score each time.
UCSB pitcher Zach Torra, a lefthander from Santa Ynez, struck out five and allowed just three hits in his four innings of work.
Jensen homers twice in split
John Jensen hit a pair of two-run home runs and Simon Reid added a solo shot as Westmont the first game of a GSAC baseball doubleheader at William Jessup, 8-6. The Warriors lost the seven-inning nightcap, 10-1.
Jensen’s two shots give him nine on the season. Each was preceded by an extra-base by Brady Renck — a triple in the third inning and a double during the Warriors’ five-run fifth.
Andrew Bayard had an RBI double during the outburst while Josh Rego capped the fifth with a run-scoring single.
Rego, who went 3-for-5 in the game, scored Westmont’s final run in the seventh when he singled, stole second base and raced home on an error.
Starting pitcher Chad Stoner (2-1) got the win, allowing two earned runs over 5 1/3 innings. Jameson Krueger earned his first save with 1 2/3 innings of shutout relief. Jessup put the tying runs on base to start the bottom of the ninth, but Krueger retired the next three batters, two on strikeouts.
Jessup (13-7, 5-5) hammered Westmont (12-10, 5-5 GSAC) for 12 hits in the second game. The Warriors’ lone run came in the fifth when Bayard doubled and came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Robbie Haw.
No. 1 Hawaii beats UCSB again
Hawaii reasserted its No. 1 ranking in NCAA men’s volleyball by sweeping No. 3 at Robertson Gym on Friday for its second victory over the Gauchos in as many nights.
The Rainbow Warriors (6-0, 2-0 Big West Conference) pounded UCSB (4-2, 0-2) with a hitting percentage of .388. Chaz Galloway had eight kills in as many attempts and Patrick Gasman was almost perfect with eight kills in nine swings.
Rado Parapunov led Hawai for the second straight night with 16 kills and a hitting percentage of .407.
Randy DeWeese, the reigning AVCA National Player of the Week, led UCSB with 11 kills but he also had eight hitting errors and a hitting percentage of just .100. Keenan Sanders had nine kills and hit .438.
The two teams will conclude their series with a non-league match at 4 p.m. today at Robertson Gym.
UCSB softball loses 4th straight
UCSB’s Madelyn McNally continued her torrid softball hitting but the Gauchos pitching staff continued to struggle as it was hammered at Loyola Marymount, 10-2, in a game called after just five innings.
McNally went 2-for-3 to improve her team-high batting average to .472. UCSB dropped to 3-13 with its fourth-straight loss while LMU improved to 8-8.
Rain halts UCSB-USC tennis
UCSB trailed No. 21 USC 3-1 in a women’s tennis match at the Rec Center courts when rain canceled the rest of the match. The match will not count against either team’s record since four points are needed for a victory.
The Trojans won the doubles point and swept the No.5 and No. 2 singles matches.
UCSB’s Shakhnoza Khatamova defeated USC’s Salma Ewing 6-3, 6-4 at No. 3 singles when the match was suspended.
email: mpatton@newspress.com
