For the second straight game, the UC Santa Barbara baseball team saw No. 24 Stanford come back to tie things late in the game and then enjoy another walk-off victory.
Jake Schlander’s home run to lead off the bottom of the 11th inning gave Stanford the 5-4 win as the Cardinal again rallied against UCSB’s bullpen following a walk-off win in the ninth inning on Friday.
Pinch-hitter Adam Gaylord’s one-out single in the eighth inning vs. reliever Kevin Gelinas drove in Stephen Piscotty with the tying run. Marty Mullins ripped a two-out double down the left-field line in the 11th inning but Trevor Whyte struck out to end the threat.
Schlander greeted David Meals (0-3) with a homer to left field to open the Cardinal’s 11th inning, handing the Gauchos their second straight heartbreaking defeat. UCSB falls to 3-4 overall while No. 24 Stanford improves to 6-3.
UCSB got off to another 2-0 lead in the first inning for the second straight game. With two out, Matt Valaika singled and Mark Haddow walked before Beck Wheeler smashed a two-run double to left center, providing Gaucho starter Nick Loredo with an early lead.
Loredo, making his second start in the blue and gold, pitched well, allowing just one earned run in his seven innings. However another error opened the door for a Stanford rally in the fifth inning.
With two outs, Kellen Kiilsgaard reached on Whyte’s fielding error and after a walk, another error by Whyte allowed Kiilsgaard to score. Another base hit scored Stanford’s second unearned run of the inning, bringing the Cardinal within a run at 4-3.
UCSB scored a pair of runs in the fourth to take a 4-1 lead. Whyte’s double scored Mullins, who singled, and Sean Williams hit a sacrifice fly to give UCSB the three-run lead.
