The pitching had always been there thus far this season for the UCSB baseball team this season and it appears now that the bats are starting to come around – and at just the right time as UCSB is getting into the thick of Big West Conference play.
UCSB tied its season high for runs in a 15-10 victory over Pepperdine on Tuesday at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium and has scored 35 runs over its past three games, which is a season-best.
The Gauchos (15-12) got contributions throughout the lineup as all but one starter had a base hit while Shane Arslan led the way by going 2-for-4 with three RBI.Ryan Tregoning and Trevor Whyte each had a pair of hits and two RBI while Bryce Tafelski went 2-for-2 with a run and an RBI.
As a team, the Gauchos pounded out 16 hits, including four doubles and two triples.
Sean Williams and Matt Valaika each had two hits while Williams scored twice and Valaika found the plate three times. For Williams it was his sixth multi-hit game in April and Valaika is 10-for-24 over his past five games.
Pepperdine put up a six spot in the fourth inning to take an 8-6 lead, but the Gauchos scratched a run out in the fifth on Whyte’s RBI single and then scored three times in the sixth inning to take the lead for good.
With two outs Arslan laced a triple to right-center field to score Valaika and Mark Haddow before Whyte’s single plated Arslan for a 10-9 lead.
UCSB then put the game away with four runs in the seventh inning.
Derek Eligio doubled to start the inning before Sean Williams’ single put runners on the corners. After two quick outs, Tregoning walked, but Eligio scored on a ball four wild pitch. Williams scored moments later on another wild pitch before Marty Mullins hit a two-run double to left-center to score Tregoning and Arslan, who also walked.
After two errors by the Gaucho defense in the first inning gave Pepperdine its first two runs, the Gauchos quickly scored twice in the bottom of the frame. Valaika’s triple scored Williams, who had singled, before Haddow followed with a sacrifice fly.
UCSB scored four times in the third inning with Arslan’s two-run double and Brett Fick’s RBI single highlighting the inning.
The Gauchos will host No. 22 Cal State Fullerton this weekend, beginning Friday at 2 p.m.
