Mario Hollands was brilliant on Friday in the opener of a three-game series, tossing a complete game over UC Riverside, 5-1.
The junior left-hander pitched like his ace status suggested, allowing just seven hits without walking a batter while striking out five. Hollands didn’t allow a run until the eighth inning and before UCR scored, allowed just one runner past second base.
The victory, UCSB’s third in a row, improves the Gauchos to 19-17 overall and 5-5 in the Big West. UC Riverside falls to 21-14, 5-5.
Hollands retired 17 of 19 batters he faced until the Highlanders got to him in the eighth, helping UCSB to its second Friday win in the past three weeks. Hollands is now 4-3 and lowered his ERA to 3.99.
UCR’s Matt Andriese matched Hollands zero for zero through the first three innings, but his defense let him down in the fourth.
Trevor Whyte hit a one-out bouncer that went under the glove of shortstop Trevor Hairgrove for a base hit and Marty Mullins followed with a hit. A fielder’s choice put runners on the corners before Ryan Tregoning hit a slow-rolling single to right that scored Whyte.
Mark Haddow, who was on first, raced to third and when rightfielder Michael Hur bobbled the ball, Haddow scored.
In the sixth, Whyte drove in Matt Valaika with a double to left-center but Whyte was later picked off second base.
Haddow walked with two outs and Tregoning singled to right to put runners on first and third before Bryce Tafelski and Ryan Palermo each hit run-scoring singles.
UCSB will continue its series with UCR on Saturday at 1 p.m. before concluding it on Sunday with another 1 p.m. game. Both games can be heard on AM 1490
