The UCSB baseball team loaded the bases with nobody out in the ninth inning and scored twice, however were unable to push Saturday’s game into the bottom of the ninth vs. UC Davis in the final game of their three-game series.
After Ryan Cavan and Shane Carlson walked, bookending an infield single by Marty Mullins to load the bases, Mark Haddow struck out before John DeAlba walked to force in a run. Gunnar Terhune struck out for the second out before Brian Gump walked to force in another. Eric Oliver, who had homered earlier in the game, flied out to end it and the Gauchos lost 9-8.
UCSB falls to 19-10 overall, 5-4 in the Big West while UC Davis avoided the three-game sweep and improves to 6-23, 1-5.
The Gauchos scored three runs in the first inning on Oliver’s two-run home run and Cavan’s solo shot, but the Aggies came right back and scored two themselves on a bases-loaded fielder’s choice and a sacrifice fly.
UCSB made it 4-2 with a run in the fourth when Carlson, who had doubled, scored on an error, but UC Davis cut the deficit to one on Jared Thompson’s home run.
The Gauchos scored two more in the sixth inning, creating a three-run lead, with John DeAlba scoring on Brian Gump’s single and Cavan’s single to center scoring Gump.
However, the Aggies scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth, taking a lead they would never relinquish. Zach Samuels relieved Mike Ford with two on and one out, but allowed a run-scoring single, a two-run double and a RBI double to the first three batters he faced. Samuels, who entered the game 2-0 with a 3.63 ERA, took the loss by allowing three runs in 1.2 innings.
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Ford allowed five runs on five hits in 5.1 innings, striking out four.
The Aggies padded the lead in the eighth inning with two more runs on a single by Daniel Cepin and another base hit by Ty Kelly against David Meals, who relieved Samuels after a leadoff walk to start the eighth.
The Gauchos had 11 hits, paced by Gump’s 3-for-5 day. The senior centerfielder also scored twice and drove in two others. Oliver, Cavan and Marty Mullins all added a pair of hits, with Oliver and Cavan driving in two runs apiece.
UCSB left 13 runners on base, however.
UCSB returns home on Wednesday, April 15 vs. Cal State Bakersfield as the Athletics Department is helping fans beat the Tax Man on Tax Day. Tickets to the game are just $1.
