No. 13 UCSB (26-9, 15-2) edged out Long Beach on Saturday afternoon taking game two of the weekend series 3-2. UCSB Baseball remains perfect in conference series, improving to 6-0 in that category.
Mike Gutierrez took to the bump first for the Gauchos, earning his ninth-straight Saturday start and, despite getting a no-decision, had a terrific performance. The lefty tossed six full innings of two-hit, two-run ball and carried a no-hitter into the sixth. He struck out six along the way.
Michael Rice (6-0) picked up his sixth win out of the pen and is now tied with teammates Gutierrez and Cory Lewis for the Big West lead. Although he wasn’t perfect, allowing Gutierrez’s inherited runners to score, he threw two innings and allowed just one hit while striking out a pair.
The conference’s save leader, Ryan Harvey, came in for the final inning and collected the save, giving him 10 on the season, which is the fourth most in a single season in Gaucho History.
Seven Gauchos split up the teams seven hits while the Dirtbags were held to three. Blake Klassen and John Newman Jr. both went yard and Bryce Willits drove in the game-winning run.
Newman Jr. broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the third with the first home run of his collegiate career, a solo shot to right center that gave the Gauchos a 1-0 lead. Only two batters later came Klassen, who crushed a ball 437-feet to the same spot and doubled the lead to 2-0.
Long Beach nearly tied it in the fourth but Nick Oakley robbed the Dirtbags of a hit with a diving grab.
The Gaucho defense bent but refused to break until the seventh inning, when Long Beach finally broke through with a pair of runs to tie the game late.
The tie would only stand for a few outs, with the Gauchos bringing home what would be the game-winner in the bottom half. With two outs, Jordan Sprinkle singled down the right field line. Klassen stepped to the plate and on the third pitch of the AB, Sprinkle headed for second and was called out on a throw by the Dirtbag catcher. This temporarily ended the inning until head coach Andrew Checketts called for a replay and it was overturned. Klassen then reached on an error, moving Sprinkle to third who promptly came home on an RBI single from Willits.
With two outs in the eighth, Long Beach loaded the bases, but Rice got out of the jam with a strikeout and Harvey faced just four batters in the ninth to collect the save.
UCSB will look to sweep the series tomorrow in game three at Caesar Uyesaka as Ryan Gallagher is set to take the bump. First pitch is set for 1 PM.
Daniel Moebus-Bowles writes about sports for UCSB.
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