STOCKTON — UCSB pitcher Greg Davis saved his best for last.
In his final appearance of the 2010 season, Davis went the distance and led the Gauchos to a 5-1 win at Pacific. It was UCSB’s second straight win in the series and they improve to 23-30 overall and 9-14 in league.
Davis (2-2) was outstanding on the night. He pitched the first complete game of his career, allowing nine hits, including eight singles, and just one fifth-inning run. The junior from Huntington Beach, Calif., struck out four and walked just two. He needed only 110 pitches for the win.
The Gauchos got on the board in the first inning. Center fielder Gunnar Terhune walked and second baseman Sean Williams doubled to put runners on second and third with nobody out. After a Trevor Whyte groundout, Matt Valaika hit into a fielders choice, with Terhune out at the plate. A wild pitch by Pacific starter Marcus Pointer scored Williams to give UCSB a 1-0 lead.
The lead stayed 1-0 until the fifth inning when the Gauchos tallied a pair of runs. Catcher Marty Mullins opened the frame with single up the middle. Third basemanRyan Palermo then belted a home run down the left field line to give UCSB a 3-0 lead.
Pacific scored its only run of the game in the bottom half of the fifth. Josh Simms opened the inning with an infield single. He stole second and scored on a single to right field by right fielder Nick Longmire.
The Gauchos got that run back in the top of the sixth. Ryan Tregoning started things with a single up the gut. Tregoning stole second and one out later, scored on a single by Ben Edelstein to make the score 4-1.
Tregoning gave UCSB its final run in the top of the eighth inning when he walloped a circuit clout to dead center field.
Neither team scored the rest of the way, and the Gauchos won consecutive game for the first time in three weeks.
UCSB and Pacific will play the final game of the series on Sunday afternoon at the Klein Family Field. The game will begin at 1:00 pm and can be heard on AM 1490.
